# An AI chatbot that hands the chat to your team

> An AI agent that hands chats to your team on WhatsApp, Telegram and your website: when a customer asks, when it can't answer, or outside hours.

Canonical: https://heykiko.io/features/human-handoff
Last updated: 2026-11-05

Kiko answers your customers, and hands the chat to a person on your team the moment someone asks for one, or when your knowledge doesn't cover the question. Your team replies from one shared inbox with the whole conversation in front of them, and Kiko stays paused for that customer until you hand the chat back.

## How a hand-off works

1. **Kiko answers first**: From your website, files and product catalogue, on your website chat, WhatsApp and Telegram.
2. **A hand-off starts**: The customer asks for a person, or one of your rules applies. They get your hand-off message, or your closed message outside opening hours.
3. **Your team takes over**: The chat appears under “Needs you” in the inbox and the right person is alerted. Replying pauses Kiko and assigns the chat to whoever replied.
4. **Hand it back**: When you're done, hand the chat back. Kiko answers the customer's next message; nothing it missed is replayed.

Included on every plan, after a 14-day free trial.

## When Kiko hands off

- **The customer asks for a person**: “Can I talk to someone?”, in their own words and language, and any phrases you add. Asking “am I talking to a bot?” isn't a request: Kiko says it's an AI and carries on.
- **Your knowledge doesn't cover it**: Optional. When your knowledge barely matches a real question, Kiko hands off instead of guessing. Greetings and small talk never trigger it.
- **The agent's budget runs out**: Optional. If you cap an agent's AI credits, you can have it pass chats to your team when the cap is reached.
- **On a WhatsApp call**: A caller who asks for a person is flagged for your team to follow up on WhatsApp, and the call shows as needing a call-back.

## What your team gets

- **One inbox for every channel**: Website, WhatsApp and Telegram chats in one list, each with the whole conversation, so nobody asks the customer to repeat themselves.
- **An alert where they'll see it**: By email, WhatsApp, Telegram or in the app; each person chooses in their alert settings.
- **The right person, or a backstop**: Send every hand-off to one person, and get told when nobody has replied after the number of minutes you choose.
- **Replies with files**: Send an image or a PDF with your reply, on any channel.
- **Open a case from the chat**: For a refund or a request that needs an approval, open a case without leaving the conversation.
- **Why chats were handed off**: The hand-off page shows the last 30 days: how many chats were handed off and for what reason.

## What you can set

In Actions › Hand-off, for each agent.

| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| Automatic hand-off | On by default. Off: Kiko tells the customer nobody is on the chat right now, gives your contact details and tries to sort it out itself. |
| Your own words | Phrases that mean “I want a person” in your business, added to the ones Kiko already understands. |
| Hand-off message | What the customer is told when a person takes over. |
| Closed message | Sent instead outside your opening hours, which you set in Bookings › Booking settings › Hours. |
| Hand off when knowledge doesn't cover it | Off by default, with how strict to be. |
| Send every hand-off to | One team member, or whoever replies first. |
| Tell me if nobody replies after | A number of minutes, or never. |

## Good to know

- **Nothing is charged while a person is handling it**: While your team has the chat, Kiko doesn't run for that customer, so no AI credits are used.
- **WhatsApp's 24-hour window**: WhatsApp lets a business send free-text replies only within 24 hours of the customer's last message. HeyKiko checks before your reply goes, and tells you if the window has closed. Source: [Meta: customer service windows](https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/cloud-api/guides/send-messages#customer-service-windows)
- **The inbox refreshes, it doesn't stream**: Open chats refresh every few seconds and the list every 15 seconds, and the customer's web chat checks for your reply every few seconds while a person is handling it.
- **Your reply arrives before it's saved**: HeyKiko sends your reply on the channel first and saves it after, so the transcript never shows a message the customer didn't get.

## How other tools handle it

From each tool's own pricing and product pages, checked 4 November 2026.

| Tool | Human hand-off |
| --- | --- |
| HeyKiko | Yes, every plan |
| Chatbase | Yes: Helpdesk, Basic and up |
| SiteGPT | Yes: Every plan; iPhone app Growth and up |
| Tidio | Yes: Every plan, with mobile apps |
| Respond.io | Yes: Every plan, with mobile apps |
| Intercom Fin | Yes: Intercom, or your own helpdesk |
| Botpress | Yes: Botpress Desk, or your helpdesk |

## Questions about human hand-off

### Can an AI chatbot hand the conversation to a human?

Yes. Kiko hands the chat to your team when a customer asks for a person in their own words, and optionally when your knowledge doesn't cover the question. Your team replies from the shared inbox with the whole conversation, and Kiko stays paused for that customer until the chat is handed back.

### Does hand-off work on WhatsApp and Telegram?

Yes, the same way on your website chat, WhatsApp and Telegram. On WhatsApp, free-text replies are only possible within 24 hours of the customer's last message, and HeyKiko checks that before your reply is sent.

### How does Kiko know a customer wants a person?

It recognises requests for a person in the customer's own words and language, plus any phrases you add. Asking whether they're talking to a bot isn't treated as a request: Kiko says it's an AI and carries on.

### What happens outside business hours?

The customer gets your closed message instead of the hand-off message, and the chat waits under “Needs you” for your team. You set opening hours in Bookings › Booking settings › Hours.

### Can I send hand-offs to one person?

Yes. You can send every hand-off to one team member, and get an alert when nobody has replied after a number of minutes you choose.

### Does the AI keep replying after my team takes over?

No. Replying from the inbox pauses Kiko for that customer and assigns the chat to you. When you hand it back, Kiko answers only new messages.

### Which plans include human hand-off?

The shared inbox and hand-off are on every plan, after a 14-day free trial with no card.

## Related

- [WhatsApp AI chatbot](https://heykiko.io/channels/whatsapp-ai-chatbot)
- [Telegram AI bot](https://heykiko.io/channels/telegram-ai-chatbot)
- [Website AI chatbot](https://heykiko.io/channels/website-ai-chatbot)
- [Customer support](https://heykiko.io/solutions/customer-support)
- [Pricing](https://heykiko.io/pricing)
- [Appointment booking](https://heykiko.io/features/appointment-booking)
- [Shared inbox](https://heykiko.io/features/shared-inbox)
- [Train on your website and files](https://heykiko.io/features/train-on-your-website)
- [Lead capture](https://heykiko.io/features/lead-capture)
- [Live answers from your database](https://heykiko.io/features/database-answers)
- [Product recommendations](https://heykiko.io/features/product-answers)
- [Cases and approvals](https://heykiko.io/features/cases-and-approvals)
- [Test and tune your agent](https://heykiko.io/features/test-your-agent)
- [Knowledge access by role](https://heykiko.io/features/knowledge-access)
- [Ask Kiko](https://heykiko.io/features/ask-kiko)
- [Privacy controls](https://heykiko.io/features/privacy-controls)