Human Takeover
Human Takeover is the exit ramp from automation. When the conversation reaches this node, the bot flow terminates and the system attempts to assign a support agent. From that point, the customer is talking to a person.
This is a terminal node — it has no output handles. Once triggered, the bot's job is done.
What Happens
Reaching this node is a designed outcome, not a failure: no failure notice is written and nothing is marked as broken. The flow is abandoned entirely — the current node and flow references clear out, any pending inactivity timeout is cancelled, and the conversation enters human support mode.
The system then checks support hours. If outside hours, it sends the out-of-hours message configured in the Channel Connector, records that the flow terminated because of the takeover outside hours, and stops there — no agent is assigned. Support hours only apply when both the schedule and the out-of-hours message are configured on the connector; without one of them the takeover is always attempted.
Within hours, agent assignment follows a load-balancing approach: the system finds the agent with the fewest active conversations. It checks active agents first, then away agents. The customer receives a fixed message announcing the agent who was assigned.
If no one is available, the customer receives a message explaining no agents are available, and the conversation is marked as awaiting response — an agent will pick it up when one becomes free. The conversation carries a warning notice, "No agents available", whose reason names why the transfer happened (Transfer reason: manual_takeover for this node).
The Messages the Customer Sees
The texts sent during a transfer are fixed, in Spanish, and depend on why the conversation is being handed off. This node always transfers with the reason manual_takeover; the engine uses the other reasons when it hands off on its own (a node that failed without an Error path, a flow that ended into an agent).
| Reason | Agent assigned | No agents available |
|---|---|---|
manual_takeover (this node) | "Espere unos momentos, se le asignó agente para ayudarle." | "En estos momentos no hay agentes disponibles." |
flow_completed | "Te hemos conectado con agente para una atención personalizada..." | "...pero tu consulta será atendida pronto. ¡Gracias por tu paciencia!" |
flow_error | "Te hemos conectado con agente quien te ayudará a resolver el inconveniente presentado." | "Hemos encontrado un inconveniente en el proceso automático. En estos momentos no hay agentes disponibles..." |
no_next_node | "Te hemos conectado con agente para continuar con tu atención personalizada." | "...pero estaremos contigo pronto para cualquier consulta adicional." |
These texts cannot be edited from the editor or the connector today. If the wording matters to you, send your own Message right before the Human Takeover node; the fixed text will still follow it.
After the Agent
The conversation stays with the agent until it is resolved or returned. If the agent goes quiet — no message from them for the connector's agent idle timeout, 24 hours by default — the conversation is released and returned to the connector's default bot, so the customer's next message is answered again. When the connector has no default bot, the conversation is left without a flow and new messages are ignored until someone assigns it.
When to Use It
After failures. When an automated process cannot continue — validation keeps failing, the API is down, the customer's situation doesn't fit any path — offer the option to talk to someone. Place it as one branch from an Interactive Options node: "Retry" loops back, "Talk to an agent" routes here.
Optional handoff at the end of a process. The customer finished onboarding, but you want to offer "Any questions? Talk to an agent" before closing. The node handles the routing — you just connect to it.
Designed escalation paths. Menus that explicitly offer "Talk to an agent" as an option route here when the customer selects it.
Human Takeover vs Global Keywords
Both can transfer to an agent, but they serve different purposes.
Human Takeover is a deliberate escalation point. You design the flow to offer "Talk to an agent" as an option, and the customer selects it. The transfer happens at a specific, intended moment — the "controlled handoff."
Global Keywords configured with an agent action work differently. They're an emergency escape hatch — the customer types "ayuda" at any point, and the transfer happens immediately, interrupting whatever was happening. This is the "panic button" — it works regardless of where the flow is.
Use Human Takeover for designed escalation paths. Use Global Keywords for universal help commands that should work from anywhere.
Prerequisites
Support agents must be configured for the tenant and channel. Without agents, the node will send the "no agents available" message, leave the warning notice and mark the conversation as awaiting response.
Support hours and the out-of-hours message are optional, configured in the Channel Connector. If both are set and the node triggers outside them, the out-of-hours message is sent and the flow terminates without attempting agent assignment.