How to update Customer Agent handoff settings

Learn how to ensure shopper inquiries are handled smoothly by selecting a handoff method for your Customer Agent. A handoff occurs when Customer Agent can’t resolve an inquiry and needs to escalate the conversation to a human support agent.

Before you begin

This guide covers changing the handoff method for Customer Agent. Before continuing, make sure  Customer Agent is enabled for your Klaviyo account.

Handoff method options

When Customer Agent receives a question it doesn’t have the knowledge to answer, it can escalate the inquiry to your human support team. Depending on where and how you handle support inquiries, you can choose your preferred handoff method. There are 2 options described below.

1. Send a ticket to a helpdesk platform

Connect your helpdesk platform and let the AI send a new ticket to that platform when a handoff is needed. Currently, the following helpdesk platforms are supported:

• Klaviyo Helpdesk
• Zendesk
• Gorgias

The escalation process goes as follows:

1. Web chat only: Customer Agent asks the visitor if they’d like to connect with a human. Handoff only occurs if the shopper clicks "Yes, connect me with an agent"
   
2. Customer Agent creates a ticket and that includes the full conversation transcript with timestamps, the visitor’s email address, and their Klaviyo profile ID (if one exists).
3. What happens next depends on your helpdesk platform:
   • Klaviyo Helpdesk
     The Customer Agent routes the conversation to your Klaviyo Inbox as a new inbound message and informs the visitor that their inquiry was sent to your team.
     • If a human support agent is available, they can pick up the ticket and continue the conversation with the visitor right away via web chat.
     • If no agent is available, such as during your off-hours, your auto-response or office hours message will be triggered and shown to the visitor.
4. Zendesk or Gorgias
   Customer Agent creates a new ticket in either Zendesk or Gorgias and notifies the visitor that a human support agent will follow. The session with the Customer Agent ends, and your support team continues the conversation from your helpdesk platform.
   • SMS: the conversation continues over SMS for both platforms.
     
     

   • Web chat: behavior depends on the platform:

     • Zendesk: the conversation continues in web chat. The human agent's replies from Zendesk are delivered directly through Klaviyo's web chat.
     • Gorgias: the conversation transfers to email. The human agent's replies are sent directly to the customer's email address, from which the customer can reply.

     
     Note that in order to be connected to a human agent, the visitor must be signed into an account. If they are still unauthenticated when the handoff is triggered, Customer Agent will first ask them to provide their email address before creating the ticket.
     
     

2. Do not hand off

Set up the Customer Agent to display a custom message when it doesn’t know the answer, directing customers to where they can find more help (e.g., your help center, FAQ page, or contact form). In this case, the visitor won’t be prompted to speak to a human support agent; your message displays instead.

How to change a support handoff method

Follow these steps to set your handoff preference in Klaviyo:

1. In Klaviyo, go to the Customer Agent tab.
2. Navigate to the Settings sub-tab.
3. Under Handoff, choose your preferred escalation method:
   1. Send to a helpdesk:
      1. Klaviyo Helpdesk (recommended)
      2. Zendesk

      3. Gorgias

         To use Zendesk or Gorgias as your handoff method, you need to integrate them with Klaviyo first. If you haven't already connected these platforms, you’ll be guided through the integration process before you can save your handoff preference.

   2. Do not hand off:
      • Enter your custom support message, including any helpful links.
4. Click Save.

Customer Agent will now use your selected method for any inquiries it can’t resolve.

Next steps

After setting your handoff method, review the Resolution rate and Routed to team metrics in Customer Agent overview dashboard. These metrics show how often your Customer Agent is able to resolve questions versus how often it escalates them to your team. 

If you notice a low resolution rate or a high rate of escalated conversations, it may be time to review and fill any knowledge gaps in your Customer Agent’s training. Learn more about adding knowledge to your Customer Agent.

Additional resources

• What questions can Customer Agent answer?
• How to train your Customer Agent
• Getting started with the Customer Agent overview dashboard