Route Calls to Human Operators

Route calls to human operators when needed. Choose warm transfers (with context briefing), cold transfers (direct routing), or HTTP transfers (dynamic webhook-based routing). What you’ll learn: Transfer type comparison, configuration basics, effectiveness metrics, and troubleshooting patterns.

What is a call transfer?

A call transfer hands the conversation from your AI agent to a human operator or another system. The agent recognizes when it can’t resolve an issue — complex requests, escalation demands, or specialized queries — and routes the caller to someone who can help. When agents should transfer:

Customer explicitly requests a human (“I want to talk to a person”)
Issue exceeds agent’s knowledge or authority
Sensitive situations requiring human judgment
Complex multi-step problems needing real-time troubleshooting

Transfer types

Dasha BlackBox offers three transfer methods. Choose based on your needs:

Transfer Type	Pros	Cons	Best For
Warm Transfer	• Operator receives context before speaking with caller • Caller doesn’t re-explain situation • Agent verifies operator availability • Agent can resume if operator disconnects	• More complex to configure • Takes longer (agent briefs operator first) • Uses more resources during handoff • Requires operator to answer and engage	Personalized escalations, complex customer issues, high-value calls, situations requiring context handoff
Cold Transfer	• Simplest to configure • Fastest transfer method • Agent freed immediately • Works well for automated systems	• No context provided to operator • Caller must re-explain situation • No operator availability verification • Less personalized experience	Simple routing, IVR/menu systems, general department transfers, high-volume basic escalations
HTTP Transfer	• Dynamic routing based on real-time data • CRM and system integration • Skill-based/intelligent assignment • Custom business logic • Workforce management integration	• Requires webhook development • Most complex to implement • Depends on external system reliability • Adds latency for webhook call • More potential failure points	Dynamic routing based on availability, skill-based assignment, CRM-integrated routing, complex business rules

Transfer Methods

Learn about each transfer type:

Warm Transfer - Agent briefs operator before connecting caller
Cold Transfer - Direct routing without operator briefing
HTTP Transfer - Webhook-based dynamic routing

Quick Start: Configure Transfer via API

This example shows the transfer-related fields. The PUT endpoint requires the full agent configuration including name, config.primaryLanguage, config.ttsConfig, and config.llmConfig.

curl -X PUT "https://blackbox.dasha.ai/api/v1/agents/{agentId}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Your Agent Name",
    "config": {
      "primaryLanguage": "en-US",
      "ttsConfig": { ... },
      "llmConfig": { ... },
      "features": {
        "transfer": {
          "type": "warm",
          "description": "Transfer when customer requests human agent or issue is complex",
          "endpointDestination": "+15550100",
          "callerIdMode": "userPhoneNumber",
          "interactionWithOperator": {
            "type": "smartV1",
            "additionalInstructions": "Brief operator in under 10 seconds with issue summary"
          },
          "sayPhraseToCustomer": "Let me connect you with a specialist. One moment please.",
          "continueAfterOperatorDisconnected": true,
          "failoverBehavior": {
            "continueConversation": true,
            "staticPhrase": "All representatives are busy. Let me try to help you directly."
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }'

Measuring Transfer Effectiveness

Track these metrics:

Transfer rate: Percentage of calls resulting in transfer
Transfer reason analysis: Why are customers being transferred?
Transfer success rate: Percentage of completed vs. failed transfers
Post-transfer satisfaction: Are transferred customers satisfied?
First-call resolution impact: How do transfers affect resolution rates?

High transfer rates may indicate:

Agent needs more training or knowledge
Knowledge base needs expansion
Complex scenarios require human handling
Transfer criteria are too broad

Troubleshooting

Problem: Transfers Fail Frequently

Solution: Verify destination numbers are correct and answering. Check network connectivity. Review failover logs for error patterns.

Problem: Agent Transfers Too Often

Solution: Refine transfer description to be more specific about when transfers are appropriate. Expand knowledge base. Update system prompt with problem-solving guidance.

Problem: Callers Drop During Transfer

Solution: Add hold media to maintain engagement. Set clear expectations before transfer. Reduce transfer connection time if possible.

Next steps

Warm Transfer

Brief operators with context first

Cold Transfer

Direct routing for speed

HTTP Transfer

Webhook-based dynamic routing

Maximum Call Duration

Control transferred call length

Introduction

Create

Test

Deploy

Monitor

Advanced Features

Troubleshooting

What is a call transfer?

Transfer types

Transfer Methods

Measuring Transfer Effectiveness

Troubleshooting

Problem: Transfers Fail Frequently

Problem: Agent Transfers Too Often

Problem: Callers Drop During Transfer

Next steps

Warm Transfer

Cold Transfer

HTTP Transfer

Maximum Call Duration

​What is a call transfer?

​Transfer types

​Transfer Methods

​Measuring Transfer Effectiveness

​Troubleshooting

​Problem: Transfers Fail Frequently

​Problem: Agent Transfers Too Often

​Problem: Callers Drop During Transfer

​Next steps

Warm Transfer

Cold Transfer

HTTP Transfer

Maximum Call Duration

What is a call transfer?

Transfer types

Transfer Methods

Measuring Transfer Effectiveness

Troubleshooting

Problem: Transfers Fail Frequently

Problem: Agent Transfers Too Often

Problem: Callers Drop During Transfer

Next steps