Configuring call transfers

Valid for AI Receptionist.

The call transfer feature allows your AI Receptionist to intelligently route calls to a human manager when necessary. This article explains the attributes that control how your AI Receptionist transfers calls, including enabling the feature, assigning the correct phone numbers, and defining the conditions under which a call should be escalated.

All attributes must be configured in the Settings > Agent Behavior tab of your portal.

Requirements

You have access to your AI Receptionist portal.
You have navigated to the Settings > Agent Behavior tab.

Note

At least one phone number attribute must be set: project_business_working_hour_escalation_phone or project_attributes_setting_transfer_call_phone_numbers. If both are left empty, the AI Receptionist will not transfer calls and will instead relay the information to a manager via email or SMS (if session-ended reporting is enabled).

Enabling call transfers

To allow your AI Employee to transfer calls to a human manager, you must first enable the feature.

Locate the attribute project_attributes_setting_transfer_call_enabled.
Set the value to True to enable call transfers, or False to disable transfers (the AI will handle all calls without escalating).

Setting escalation phone numbers

You can define specific phone numbers for your AI Employee to use during both working and non-working hours.

Accepted formats for phone numbers include using a + and country code (e.g., +12345678990) or without a + and with a country code (e.g., 12345678990).

Note

The escalation phone numbers must differ from your public phone number (project_business_public_phone in the Business tab) to prevent the agent from calling itself recursively.

Working hours

To set a forwarding number to use during working hours, complete the following:

Locate the attribute project_business_working_hour_escalation_phone.
Enter the phone number the AI Receptionist should forward calls to during standard working hours.

Non-working Hours

To set a forwarding number to use during non-working hours, complete the following:

Locate the attribute project_business_non_working_hour_escalation_phone.
Enter the phone number the AI Receptionist should forward calls to outside of standard business hours (e.g., an on-call manager's cell phone).

Defining call criteria

You must specify the exact scenarios in which the AI Receptionist should transfer the call.

Locate the attribute project_attributes_setting_transfer_call_criteria.
Enter the specific scenarios or requests that warrant a transfer.
Examples: "Speak with customer service", "Report a forgotten or lost item", or "Re-confirm their appointment".

Advanced phone number selection & rules

If your business requires dedicated numbers for different scenarios (e.g., standard bookings vs. emergency calls), you can set up advanced routing.

Locate the attribute project_attributes_setting_transfer_call_phone_numbers.
Define the escalation numbers for specific situations and whether they apply during working or non-working hours.

Note

This attribute should be left empty if you are already using the standard working/non-working hours escalation numbers defined in the steps above.

Real-world example: Restaurant industry

If you are setting up an AI Receptionist for a restaurant and want to transfer calls when a guest needs to cancel a reservation (using different numbers for day and night), complete the following:

Set the project_attributes_setting_transfer_call_enabled attribute to True.
Ensure the project_business_public_phone attribute in the Business tab includes the restaurant's correct published number.
Add your daytime manager's phone number to the project_business_working_hour_escalation_phone attribute.
Add your after-hours manager's phone number to the project_business_non_working_hour_escalation_phone attribute. (If you only use one number, enter it into both fields).
Add the following instruction to the project_attributes_setting_transfer_call_criteria attribute: “Guest would like to cancel their reservation”.
Keep the advanced project_attributes_setting_transfer_call_phone_numbers attribute empty, as you do not have specific numbers for alternate scenarios like catering.
Ensure you have the correct intent type and scenario set up in your system to trigger the transfer.