Take over a conversation from the AI
Take over a conversation the AI agent is handling just by replying, then hand it back to the AI when you're done.
On this page
What you need
- Access to reply to conversations
- Time
- ~3 min
- Steps
- 4
The AI agent handles a conversation until someone from your team steps in. You don't need a special button to take over: just send a reply.
Read the AI's status
The top of every conversation shows an AI button with a robot icon. Hover over it to read its status.
- Purple with a green dot — the AI is on and replying in this conversation.
- Grey — the AI is paused, or a teammate has taken the conversation over.
- Dimmed with a hollow ring — the AI isn't turned on for this channel, so the button can't be clicked. That setting lives in Channels.
Take over a conversation
- Open a conversation the AI is handling. To find one, click Filters in the conversation list, then under Handling choose AI handling.
- Make sure the Reply tab is active, then write your reply.
- Click Send. As soon as your reply goes out, you've taken over and the AI stops replying in this conversation. The takeover is recorded in the conversation.
- Carry on the conversation as usual until the matter is settled.
A private note doesn't take the conversation over; only a reply to the customer does.
If the channel has After-hours AI backup turned on, the AI can still reply to the customer during the hours set there, even after you've taken the conversation over.
Hand it back to the AI
Click the AI button while it's grey. The AI turns back on for this conversation and immediately answers any customer message that hasn't been replied to. If you reply again afterwards, you take it over again.
Turn the AI off without replying
Click the AI button while it's on. The AI stops completely for this conversation, including outside working hours, until someone hands it back. Use this, for example, when a customer asks to talk to a person but you're not ready to reply yet.
You can find conversations where the AI was turned off this way through Filters → Handling → Needs pickup (AI off).
You can only click the AI button if you have access to reply in that conversation. Otherwise, it only shows the status.
The AI can also hand a conversation to your team on its own. See Available work and My work.
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