Escalation lets visitors request to speak with a human agent. When enabled, the AI detects when someone asks for human help or seems frustrated, and offers to connect them with your team.
If the visitor confirms, you receive an email notification with a direct link to join the conversation. The AI continues responding until you take over.
How It Works
Visitor asks for help - AI detects phrases like "talk to a person" or frustration signals
AI offers escalation - Asks if they'd like to speak with a team member
Visitor confirms - They say yes, they want human assistance
You get notified - Email arrives with a link to join the chat
You take over - Click the link and start responding directly
AI Assistant
Waiting for a team member...
Can I talk to a real person?
Of course! I'd be happy to connect you with our team. Would you like me to notify a team member to join this chat?
Yes please
I've notified our team and someone will join you shortly. In the meantime, is there anything else I can help you with?
The Email Notification
When a visitor requests escalation, you receive an email like this:
Asyntai
A Visitor Wants to Speak With You
A visitor on your website has requested to speak with a human agent.
Website: yourwebsite.com
Their Last Message:
Yes please, I need help with my order
The visitor is waiting for you. Our AI is still responding, but they're expecting a human to join soon.
Click the button above to take over this conversation. The visitor will be notified that a human agent has joined.
Setup
Enabling escalation takes just a few seconds:
1
Go to Escalation SettingsFrom your website menu, click "Escalation"
2
Enter your emailWhere you want to receive escalation notifications
3
Click EnableThat's it! Your AI will now offer human handoff
Tip: Use a shared inbox or support email so multiple team members can receive and respond to escalation requests.
Important: Escalation only works when enabled in your settings. If escalation is disabled, the AI will not offer to connect visitors with a human agent.
Business Hours
By default escalation works 24 hours a day. If nobody is working at night, a visitor can ask for a person at 2 AM, hear that someone will join shortly, and then wait for nobody.
Business hours fix that. Inside your hours escalation works exactly as before. Outside them the AI tells the visitor when your team is back, asks for their email address, and passes the message to your team by email. Nobody is promised in the chat.
AI Assistant
Can I talk to a real person?
Our team is offline right now. They are back Monday at 09:00. I can pass your message to them so they reply as soon as they are back - what is the best email address to reach you?
Setting your hours
1
Turn on Business hoursUse the switch in your Escalation settings
2
Pick your timezoneYour team timezone, not the visitor timezone
3
Tick your open daysSet a start time and an end time for each open day
4
Add a contact email (optional)Outside your hours the AI can give visitors this address
Tip: For an overnight shift, set the end time before the start time. For example 22:00 to 06:00 stays open through the night and closes at 6 in the morning.
Note: The contact email you give visitors is a separate field from your notification email. Your notification address is never shown in the chat.
Important: Outside your business hours you still receive the escalation email, marked as a request outside business hours and showing the visitor's email address when they gave one. The waiting bar never appears, so the visitor does not wait for a person.
What Triggers Escalation
When escalation is enabled, the AI offers to escalate when visitors:
Ask for a human
"Can I talk to a person?"
"I want to speak with someone"
"Get me a real agent"
"Human please"
Show frustration
"This isn't helping"
"I need actual help"
"You're not understanding"
"This is frustrating"
While Waiting
After escalation is triggered:
AI keeps responding - Continues helping to keep the visitor engaged
You get notified instantly - Email arrives within seconds
Take over anytime - Click the link and jump in when ready
Note: Escalation works alongside Live Monitoring. You can also proactively take over any chat from the monitoring dashboard without waiting for an escalation request.
Disable or Change Settings
You can update your escalation settings anytime:
Change email - Update the notification email and click Save
Disable - Turn off escalation if you don't want the AI to offer human handoff
Re-enable - Turn it back on whenever you're ready to receive requests
Changes take effect immediately - no need to republish your widget.