Managing conversation handoff and handback

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<p class="p">In this article, we’ll explain messaging conversation handoff and handback, the actions that can
change the first responder in a conversation from an AI agent to a live agent, and back
again.</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_m1w_wpq_5pb__ul_qgv_ypq_5pb">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Handoff</strong> is removing the AI agent as the conversation’s first responder and making an
agent the first responder.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Handback</strong> is removing a live agent as the first responder in a conversation, clearing the
way for the AI agent to be the first responder when the customer starts a new
conversation. Handing a conversation back to the AI agent is, effectively, ending
one conversation, clearing the way for a new conversation to address a new problem
or support request.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p">This article includes the following topics:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_m1w_wpq_5pb__ul_rgv_ypq_5pb">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_azj_cqq_5pb">Understanding handoff events</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_ux4_cqq_5pb">Understanding and managing
handback events</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_mvs_cqq_5pb">Additional settings to
consider</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_azj_cqq_5pb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Understanding handoff events</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When the conversation is handed off to a live agent, those agents are notified of the pending
support request based on the account’s <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408829019162" target="_blank">established routing flow</a>, and the AI agent can no longer
respond to the conversation.</p>
<p class="p">An agent remains the first responder until the ticket associated with the
conversation is closed.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_ux4_cqq_5pb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Understanding and managing handback events</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Conversation handback is initiated when the status of the ticket associated with the conversation
is changed from <em class="ph i">Solved</em> to <em class="ph i">Closed</em>. Then, when the customer begins a new
conversation, the AI agent becomes the first responder again. It’s important to
note, however, that the AI agent does not automatically send the first message in a
subsequent conversation. The returning customer must send a message to initiate a
response from the AI agent, which will then attempt to find a conversational
shortcut. If no shortcut is found, the AI agent will respond according to normal
free-text entry behavior. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408824263578#topic_mgq_d4n_jnb" target="_blank">Conversational shortcuts and article suggestions</a> for
more information.</p>
<p class="p">Until the status of the ticket is changed to
<em class="ph i">Closed</em>, a customer
returning to the messaging channel while the ticket is still marked Solved would
find the previous conversation still active, and the agent would still be the first
responder. The customer would be unable to start a new conversation to address a new
support request. By default the time between a solving and closing a ticket is four
days, which can cause some confusion for customers returning to your messaging
channel.</p>
<p class="p">You can avoid this scenario in two ways:</p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_ux4_cqq_5pb__ul_vcc_4sq_5pb">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_dgn_3sq_5pb">Adjusting your default
automation</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_xbt_3sq_5pb">Creating a trigger to manage
handback timing</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested2" id="topic_dgn_3sq_5pb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title4">Adjusting your default automation</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Automatically updating a Solved ticket status to Closed is managed
through a default Support automation,
<em class="ph i">Close ticket 4 days after status is set
to solved</em>.</p>
<p class="p">You can
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408883801626#topic_rsh_miv_ub" target="_blank">edit this automation</a>
to manage how
much time passes before the ticket status changes to Closed. You may want to
change the time frame to close the ticket within the following hour or you can
extend the time to up to 28 days after the ticket is Solved. To close a ticket
immediately, see the trigger recipe in the following section.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested2" id="topic_xbt_3sq_5pb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title5">Creating a trigger to manage handback timing</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can also
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408886797466#topic_tpw_gay_tb" target="_blank">create a trigger</a>
to automatically
close solved tickets, essentially overriding the default automation.</p>
<p class="p">To do this, you’ll need to add a tag (such as
<em class="ph i">close</em>
) to any
ticket that has its status changed to
<em class="ph i">Solved.</em></p>
<p class="p">Then, create a trigger that fires on any ticket with the added tag and
closes the ticket. The trigger should have the following properties:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_xbt_3sq_5pb__ul_hmm_psq_5pb">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Condition</strong>: Tags | Contains at least one of the following | close</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Action</strong>: Status | Closed</li>
</ul>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_xbt_3sq_5pb__image_ell_mtq_5pb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/solve_ticket_trigger_ex.png" width="600"></p>
<p class="p">If you are using CSAT to gauge customer satisfaction in messaging, it’s important to note that
the survey is sent immediately when the ticket status is set to Solved. If you
are using CSAT surveys, we recommend that you keep at least a small time buffer
between solving and closing a ticket, to avoid any conflicts. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408886173338" target="_blank">About the CSAT (customer satisfaction) user experience for email and messaging</a> for more information.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested1" id="topic_mvs_cqq_5pb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title6">Additional settings to consider</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">There are a number of settings that, while not directly related to
messaging handoff or handback actions, can impact how they perform, and how your end
users experience them.</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_mvs_cqq_5pb__ul_gft_5tq_5pb">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Out-of-office triggers</strong>
can set a customer’s expectations for
when a live agent might engage them in the conversation. See
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408842866074" target="_blank">Creating an out-of-office message in a Web
Widget or mobile SDK</a>
for more information.
<em class="ph i">Out of office triggers
only fire after handoff occurs</em>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Continuous conversations</strong>
let you automatically send email
notifications to end users who have left a conversation in a Web Widget before
it was concluded. See
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408829095706-Enabling-customers-to-continue-their-conversation-over-email" target="_blank">Enabling customers to continue their
conversation over email</a>
for more information.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Routing settings</strong> manage how a messaging conversation and its associated ticket are passed
from the AI agent to a live agent or group, after a handoff event occurs. See
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408829019162" target="_blank">About routing in messaging</a> for more
information.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
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