Agent escalation is the process of transferring a conversation from an AI voice agent to a human representative. Escalation occurs when a situation exceeds the agent’s capabilities, when the caller requests human assistance, or when business rules require human involvement.
How does agent escalation work?
The AI agent monitors conversation signals to determine when escalation is appropriate. These signals include explicit requests from the caller, detection of frustration or confusion, topics outside the agent’s scope, or compliance requirements. When triggered, the agent initiates a transfer while providing context to the receiving human agent.
Why does agent escalation matter?
Knowing when to escalate is as important as handling calls independently. Poor escalation timing frustrates callers who needed help sooner or wastes human agent time on issues the AI could resolve. Effective escalation maintains customer trust while optimizing resource allocation.
Agent escalation in practice
An insurance company configures escalation triggers for claims involving injuries, policy disputes, or callers who express dissatisfaction twice. The AI provides a warm handoff that includes caller identity, issue summary, and conversation history so the human agent can continue without asking the caller to repeat information.