wordpress/chatbot/Live Agent Handoff

Live Agent Handoff

The perfect blend of AI efficiency and human connection. When customers need a real person, the handoff is seamlessβ€”and when your team is away, you never miss a lead.

Key Benefits:

  • 🀝 Seamless escalation β€” AI detects when customers need human help
  • πŸ“… Smart scheduling β€” Define availability in natural language
  • πŸ“± Contact capture β€” Collect leads 24/7, even when agents are offline
  • πŸ”” Webhook notifications β€” Integrate with your CRM or email tools

Navigate to Intufind β†’ Chatbot β†’ Live Agent to configure.

How It Works

  1. Customer requests human help (or AI detects need)
  2. Conversation is forwarded to your support platform (e.g., Slack)
  3. Agent responds through the platform
  4. Messages appear in the chatbot widget in real-time

Provider Selection

Choose which platform to use for live agent conversations:

ProviderAvailabilityNotes
SlackAvailableFree with existing workspace
WhatsAppComing Soonβ€”
ZendeskComing Soonβ€”

Live Agent Provider Screenshot: wp-live-agent-provider.png

Slack Setup

Easy Setup (Recommended)

The fastest way to connect Slack:

  1. Go to Intufind β†’ Chatbot β†’ Live Agent
  2. Select Slack as your provider
  3. Click the Add to Slack button
  4. Authorize Intufind in your Slack workspace
  5. Configure which channel to use for support

Slack Easy Setup Screenshot: wp-live-agent-slack.png

Channel Configuration

After connecting via OAuth:

  1. Create a support channel in Slack (e.g., #customer-support)
  2. Add the Intufind app to the channel:
    • Right-click the channel β†’ View channel details
    • Go to Integrations β†’ Add Apps
    • Select Intufind
  3. Find the Channel ID:
    • Still in channel details, scroll to the bottom
    • Copy the Channel ID (starts with C)
  4. Paste the Channel ID in the configuration

Advanced: Manual Configuration

For custom Slack apps (advanced users only):

  1. Go to api.slack.com/apps and create a new app
  2. Add bot scopes: chat:write, channels:read, users:read
  3. Install app to workspace and copy the Bot Token
  4. Enable Event Subscriptions with your webhook URL
  5. Create a support channel and invite your bot
  6. Enter credentials in Intufind:
    • Bot User OAuth Token (starts with xoxb-)
    • Channel ID (starts with C)
    • Signing Secret (from App Credentials)

Behavior Settings

Once your provider is configured, customize handoff behavior:

Live Agent Behavior Screenshot: wp-live-agent-behavior.png

Enable Live Agent

Default: Off (until configured)

Master toggle for the live agent feature. Must configure credentials first.

AI-Suggested Handoff

Default: On

Allow the AI to suggest handoff when it detects:

  • Customer frustration
  • Complex issues it can't resolve
  • Repeated questions indicating confusion

Custom Escalation Criteria

Define specific situations when the AI should escalate to a live agent.

Default (with AI Order Support enabled):

"Escalate requests that require human judgment, empathy, or actions the AI cannot perform (e.g., refunds, cancellations, account closures, complex policy exceptions, sensitive customer situations)."

Default (without AI Order Support):

"Always escalate: order inquiries, refunds, cancellations, order disputes, billing issues, account problems, or any request requiring system access the AI cannot provide."

Tip: If AI Order Support is enabled (see WooCommerce Integration), the AI can look up orders automatically, so escalation criteria should focus on actions the AI can't perform rather than information lookups.

Manual Handoff Button

Default: On

Show a "Talk to a Human" button in the chat interface, allowing customers to request human help at any time.

Display Hours

Default: Empty

Simple text displayed when agents are unavailable.

Example: "Mon-Fri 9am-5pm EST"

This is a fallback message. For smarter scheduling, use the Availability Schedule below.

Inactivity Timeout

Options: 1 min, 5 min, 10 min (recommended), 15 min, 30 min, 60 min Default: 10 minutes

Automatically end the live agent session after this period of inactivity. Returns conversation to AI mode.

Availability Schedule

Define when your live agents are available using natural language. The AI interprets this schedule in real-time to determine if agents are currently available.

Availability Schedule Screenshot: wp-availability-schedule.png

How It Works

  1. You define the schedule in plain English
  2. AI interprets it against the current date/time
  3. Customers get smart responses like "Our team will be back Monday at 9 AM EST"

Example Schedules

ScheduleWhat It Means
M-F 9AM-5PM ESTWeekdays, standard business hours
Mon-Fri 8AM to 6PM EST, Sat 10AM-2PMExtended hours with Saturday coverage
24/7 except 12/25 and 1/1Always available except holidays
Weekdays 9-5, closed US federal holidaysStandard hours respecting holidays

Schedule + Real-Time Status

The AI considers both your schedule and real-time agent status:

  • βœ… Within schedule + agents online β†’ "Connect Now" offered
  • ⏰ Within schedule + no agents online β†’ "Leave contact info, agents should be available soon"
  • πŸŒ™ Outside schedule β†’ "Leave contact info, we'll be back [next available time]"

This ensures customers always get accurate expectations.

Contact Form Fallback

When agents are unavailable, customers can leave their contact information instead of abandoning the conversation.

Contact Form Screenshot: wp-contact-form.png

What's Captured

  • Name (optional)
  • Email (required if no phone)
  • Phone (required if no email)
  • Message (optional)

Webhook Integration

Contact submissions trigger a contact.submitted webhook event, allowing you to:

  • Add leads to your CRM automatically
  • Send email notifications to your team
  • Trigger SMS alerts
  • Create support tickets

See Webhooks for setup instructions.

Example Webhook Payload

{
  "event": "contact.submitted",
  "data": {
    "thread_id": "web_1234567890_abc",
    "name": "Jane Doe",
    "email": "jane@example.com",
    "phone": "+1-555-123-4567",
    "message": "I need help with my recent order",
    "timestamp": "2024-01-15T14:30:00Z"
  }
}

Disconnecting

To remove Slack integration:

  1. Go to Intufind β†’ Chatbot β†’ Live Agent
  2. Scroll to Disconnect Slack
  3. Click Disconnect Slack
  4. Confirm the action

This removes all OAuth credentials and channel configuration.

Troubleshooting

Messages not appearing in Slack

  1. Verify the Intufind app is added to the support channel
  2. Check the Channel ID is correct
  3. Test by sending a message in the chat widget

Agent responses not appearing in widget

  1. Ensure your agent is replying in the correct thread
  2. Check the Intufind app has proper permissions
  3. Review Status page for API errors

Handoff button not showing

  1. Verify Manual Handoff Button is enabled
  2. Ensure Enable Live Agent is on
  3. Check that credentials are configured (status should show "Configured")

Next Steps