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  1. Help Center
  2. Ai Automation
  3. Setting Up Human Handover Protocol

Setting Up Human Handover Protocol

Learn how to set up smooth handoffs between AI and human support agents.

AI handles the routine; humans handle the rest. Handover is how a conversation moves from one to the other without the customer feeling the seam. In Ghala, handover is built into the inbox, so there is nothing to install: you configure when it happens and train your team on how to hand back.

How Handover Works

  1. A customer is chatting with your AI (auto-reply or the sales agent)
  2. You or a teammate reply to that conversation from the dashboard inbox
  3. The AI pauses automatically for that conversation only
  4. The customer is notified that a team member has joined
  5. When you're done, type BOT in the conversation to hand back to the AI

The pause is per-conversation. Every other chat keeps getting instant AI answers while you handle the one that needs a human.

When Should a Human Take Over?

Some conversations should always reach a person. Common escalation topics:

Topic Why a human
Refunds and returns Requires judgement and goodwill decisions
Complaints An upset customer wants to be heard, not answered
Wholesale or custom orders Negotiated pricing doesn't belong to the AI
Payment disputes Needs order history and sometimes a phone call
Anything legal or sensitive Not the AI's job

Configure these in Settings → AI Configuration under your escalation rules: list the topics that should always be routed to a human, and the AI will step aside instead of improvising.

The AI also escalates when the customer explicitly asks for a person. Never make customers fight the bot to reach you.

Set Up Your Team

  1. Add teammates to your workspace so they can see the shared inbox
  2. Agree on who watches the inbox during business hours
  3. Decide on a voice: the customer should not feel a personality change mid-chat

When a conversation is waiting on a human, it stays visible in the inbox until someone replies. Treat that queue like a phone that's ringing.

Handing Back to the AI

Type BOT in the conversation when you're finished. The AI resumes with full context; it can see the messages you exchanged, so it won't repeat questions the customer already answered.

Hand back promptly. A conversation left in "human mode" overnight means the customer messaging at 11 PM gets silence instead of the instant answer they'd normally get.

Best Practices

  • Acknowledge fast, resolve second. Even "Give me two minutes to check your order" beats silence.
  • Read the AI's half of the conversation first. The customer already explained their problem once; don't ask again.
  • Keep escalation topics current. If you see the AI attempting refund conversations, add refunds to the escalation list.
  • Review handovers weekly. Conversations that needed a human are your best signal for what to teach the AI next.

What's Next

  • Tune what the AI handles on its own: Configuring AI Auto-Reply
  • Deliver great support at scale: WhatsApp Customer Support Best Practices
PreviousConfiguring AI Auto-Reply for WhatsAppNextWhatsApp Message Templates: Complete Guide

On this page

  • How Handover Works
  • When Should a Human Take Over?
  • Set Up Your Team
  • Handing Back to the AI
  • Best Practices
  • What's Next