Human handoff, also called escalation, is when an AI assistant transfers a customer to a real person. It can happen in chat, by phone or via email, and is a core feature of any customer-facing AI.
Handoff is triggered by rules and signals: the customer asks for a person, the AI is unsure, the topic is sensitive such as a complaint or injury, the customer sounds frustrated or the request is outside what the AI may do. The system passes along the conversation history and any details collected, so the customer does not need to repeat themselves.
In retail and hospitality, handoffs are common for refund disputes, large group bookings, allergen concerns and complaints. They need to fit how a venue actually runs, for example an alert to the duty manager or a ticket in the helpdesk with a response-time target.
A poor handoff is one of the biggest causes of customer frustration. Watch for bots that trap people in loops, handoffs after hours with nobody there and context that is lost on transfer. Offer an alternative such as a callback or message when no one is available.
It matters because AI works best when it handles the routine and people handle the rest, and the handoff is where that promise either works or fails.