Skip to main content

Escalation

Configure how chats hand off from AI to humans. The settings here apply across all channels (chat, SMS, voice, email).

Go to Settings → Workspace → Escalation.

Settings​

Pause on Escalate​

Toggle. When on, the AI stops replying once a chat is escalated and waits for a teammate to respond. Default on.

Turn this off if you want the AI to keep chatting while a teammate is being notified — useful when teammates may take a while to join and you'd rather keep the conversation moving than leave it silent.

Message Templates​

Four optional message templates that automatically post into the chat at key escalation moments. Leave any field empty to fall back to the system default.

TemplateWhen It Sends
Online HoursA teammate was notified and the chat is escalated during business hours. Use this to set expectations (e.g., "Our team is online and will reply shortly").
Offline HoursA teammate was notified and the chat is escalated outside business hours. Use this to manage timing expectations (e.g., "We'll follow up first thing in the morning").
Notification SentA teammate has actually been notified about the escalation. Use this to confirm the handoff to the user.
Chat PausedA teammate was notified and the chat has been paused waiting for them. Only sends when Pause on Escalate is on.

These templates do not send when nobody was paged — no matching notification rule, a rule or priority member that no longer resolves, or a delivery failure. In that case the member sees an honest fallback that does not promise a human is coming.

Templates support workspace template variables — see Template Variables for the full list.

Notification Rules​

Configures who gets notified, how (email, SMS, push), and under what conditions when an escalation fires. Each rule combines a condition with one or more recipients.

See Notification Preferences for per-member preferences that can override workspace rules.

How escalation flows​

  1. The AI (or a workflow rule) decides to escalate. The request is recorded even if nobody can be notified.
  2. Pause on Escalate kicks in if enabled — the AI stops replying.
  3. Configured priority members, notification rules, and Operator Groups selected in the Workflow’s Escalation ability determine who is alerted. Operator groups prefer online members and use their routing strategy; see Operator Group Routing. Non-matching rules, stale recipients, or delivery failures can leave nobody notified.
  4. If a teammate was notified, the matching message template posts into the chat (Online or Offline based on business hours). If nobody was paged, an honest fallback is used instead of those templates.
  5. When a teammate replies, the conversation continues with the human in the loop.

Tips​

  • Configure escalation early, even if the AI handles 99% of chats. Edge cases happen — having a notification path ready means surprises don't go silent.
  • Use the Offline Hours template to manage user expectations. A short "We'll follow up in the morning" message is better than the user waiting in silence.
  • Pair templates with recipients. A template tells the Member what is happening; priority members, notification rules, or selected Operator Groups determine who is notified.
  • Override per-member. Members can opt out of certain notification channels in their account settings.