> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.merchantai.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Setting Up Human Handover and Conversation Routing

> Route conversations to your team by email or live dashboard takeover, with full transcript context and contact details always included.

No AI agent can handle every conversation, and MerchantAI is designed with that reality built in. When a visitor needs a human — whether because the agent lacks confidence, the topic is sensitive, or the visitor asks directly — MerchantAI hands over cleanly without losing context. Your team receives everything they need to pick up the conversation: the full transcript, the visitor's contact details, the sources the agent referenced, and the conversation metadata.

## When routing is triggered

MerchantAI can initiate a handover automatically based on the following conditions:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Low confidence" icon="circle-question">
    The agent's confidence in its answer falls below the threshold you have configured in Guardrails. Rather than guessing, the agent surfaces the handover option for the visitor.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Explicit human request" icon="hand">
    The visitor types a phrase such as "speak to a person," "I want to talk to someone," or any other phrase that signals they want human assistance.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Escalation list match" icon="list-check">
    The conversation topic matches a topic you have placed on your escalation list — for example, billing disputes, complaints, or refund requests.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Frustration or complaint detection" icon="face-angry">
    The agent detects signals of frustration, repeated failed attempts to answer, or explicit negative sentiment, and proactively offers to connect the visitor with your team.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Handover channels

MerchantAI supports two handover channels, which you can configure independently or use together.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Email handover">
    When a handover is triggered, MerchantAI sends an email to the address you have configured. The email includes the full conversation transcript, the visitor's contact details, and any source pages the agent referenced. Your team can reply to the visitor directly from their email client. Email handover is well suited for teams that manage support asynchronously.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Dashboard handover">
    The conversation appears in the **Contacts** inbox in your MerchantAI dashboard. Any team member with access can see the live conversation, review the context, and take over with a single click. Dashboard handover is well suited for teams that offer real-time support during business hours.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## What gets passed

Whenever a conversation is routed to a human, MerchantAI passes a complete context package to your team. Nothing is lost in the transfer.

| Item                    | Details                                                                  |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Full transcript         | Every message exchanged between the visitor and the agent, in order      |
| Visitor contact details | Name and email address if captured during the conversation               |
| Referenced sources      | The knowledge base pages or files the agent drew on when forming answers |
| Conversation metadata   | Session ID, timestamp, the trigger condition that initiated the handover |

## Live takeover

If a team member wants to join an active conversation in real time, they can do so directly from the **Contacts** inbox in the dashboard. Clicking **Take over** immediately pauses the agent and transfers control to the team member. Messages from your team appear inline in the same chat interface the visitor is using. The agent does not re-enter the conversation unless the team member explicitly hands back control.

## Configuring email handover

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Configuration">
    In the dashboard, navigate to **Configuration** from the left sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to Handover settings">
    Select **Handover** from the Configuration menu to open the handover settings panel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter your email address">
    Type the email address — or shared inbox address — where handover notifications should be sent. You can add multiple addresses separated by commas.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save your settings">
    Click **Save**. Handover emails will be sent to the configured address from this point forward. Send a test conversation to confirm delivery.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Every conversation where a visitor provides contact details is captured in the **Contacts** inbox, regardless of whether a human takes over. This means your team has a complete record of lead and support interactions even when the agent resolves the conversation without escalation.
</Note>