The moment your agent cannot help someone is the moment that person's experience either holds together or falls apart. If there is nowhere for that conversation to go, the user hits a wall. They repeat themselves to the next person they reach. They leave frustrated. They do not come back.

A customer has been trying to resolve a billing dispute for ten minutes. The agent has given all the information it has. It is not enough - this one needs a human. Without a handoff configured, the agent says it cannot help further and suggests they email support. The customer opens a new tab, writes an email, explains everything again from the beginning, and waits.

With a handoff configured, the agent transfers the conversation to your support team with everything already included. The human picks it up knowing exactly what happened. The customer does not repeat a word.

In this article, you'll learn:

• What a handoff is and how it works
• The different types of handoffs available
• When to use each type
• How handoffs and Copilot work together

What Is a Handoff?

A handoff is what happens when your agent decides a conversation needs a human. Instead of dead-ending the user or sending a generic "I can't help with that" message, your agent transfers the full conversation - including everything that was discussed - to a real person on your team.

From the user's perspective, the experience is seamless. From your team's perspective, they receive the conversation with full context already included - no need to ask the user to repeat themselves.

Types of Handoffs

Outlearn supports four handoff options, each suited to a different situation:

Live Handoff (Intercom or Zendesk Sunshine)

The conversation is transferred in real time to a human agent inside your helpdesk platform. The user stays in the chat and continues the conversation with a person.

Best for: Customer-facing support where real-time human response is important - billing issues, complex technical problems, upset customers, or any situation where tone and judgment matter.

Ticket Creation (Zendesk Ticketing)

Instead of a live transfer, a support ticket is automatically created in Zendesk with the conversation summary. Your team picks it up and follows up via email or Zendesk.

Best for: Non-urgent issues, after-hours situations, or teams that primarily work through a ticketing queue rather than live chat.

Email Handoff

A summary of the conversation is sent via email - either to the user, your support team, or both.

Best for: Simple follow-ups, lightweight teams without a dedicated helpdesk, or situations where a quick email summary is all that's needed.

Handoffs vs. Copilot

Intercom and Zendesk Sunshine both include an optional Copilot feature alongside the handoff. It's worth understanding the difference:

Handoff and Copilot can be used together or independently. A common setup is: the agent handles the conversation automatically, hands off to a human when needed, and then Copilot assists the human agent by drafting their replies inside the helpdesk.

When Should Your Agent Hand Off?

The right moment to hand off depends on your business, but common trigger situations include:

• The user explicitly asks to speak with a human
• The agent can't resolve the issue after a set number of attempts
• The conversation involves billing, legal, or sensitive account issues
• The user is clearly frustrated or upset
• The question is outside the scope of your agent's knowledge

You define these conditions yourself using plain-language trigger instructions when configuring each handoff. The more specific you are, the more reliably your agent will know when to escalate.

For guidance on writing effective trigger instructions, see Writing Good Handoff Trigger Instructions.

Best Practices

• Always configure at least one handoff before going live - even a simple email handoff ensures users aren't left stranded when your agent can't help.
• Match the handoff type to your team's workflow. A ticketing-based team should use Zendesk Ticketing, not a live handoff they won't be monitoring in real time.
• Don't make handoffs too easy to trigger. If your agent hands off at the first sign of difficulty, it undermines the value of having an AI agent at all. Set clear, specific conditions.
• Test your handoff configuration by deliberately triggering it in the Preview panel before going live.