# Hand chats to agents

> Pass a chat from the bot to your team when a customer needs a person.

Source: https://docs.soosh.io/guides/chatbot/hand-chats-to-agents/

When a chat is handed over, it waits in the queue for an agent, and the bot
stays quiet in it until someone resumes the bot.

## Before you start

- Owner or admin role in Soosh
- Optional: [a team](https://docs.soosh.io/guides/workspace/create-a-team/) to hand chats to

## The ways to hand over

**When the customer asks for a person.** Create a
[keyword reply](https://docs.soosh.io/guides/chatbot/set-up-keyword-replies/) with words like
*agent, person, human* and choose **Transfer to Agent** as the **Response
type**. The customer gets the reply's message, then the chat is queued.

**At a step in a flow.** Add a **Transfer** step to a
[bot flow](https://docs.soosh.io/guides/chatbot/build-a-bot-flow/). Choose the **Team**, write the
message the customer gets, and a note for agents.

**When the AI can't help.** In **Settings > Bot settings > AI assistant**, turn
on **Hand over to a person** and choose:

- **Hand over to**: a team, or **Any available agent (general queue)**.
- **When to hand over**: your own rules, like *refunds and complaints*. The AI
  always hands over when a customer asks for a person.
- **Message to the customer** and **If no agent is online**: what the customer
  is told.

Agents see a note in the chat saying who handed it over, and the AI's summary.

**By hand.** In a chat, click **Transfer to Agent** (the headset icon) at the
top. The customer isn't told.

## Give the chat back to the bot

Open the chat and click **Resume chatbot**, or click **Resume** next to it on
the **Queue** page. The customer isn't told.

## Result

Handed-over chats show in the queue, and agents
[pick them up](https://docs.soosh.io/guides/inbox/pick-up-chats-from-the-queue/). Outside business
hours, customers get your out of hours message instead, and the chat isn't
queued.

## Related

- Guide: [Set business hours and an away message](https://docs.soosh.io/guides/chatbot/set-business-hours-and-an-away-message/)