How to change your handoff setting for the AI Service Agent

Learn how to ensure shopper inquiries are handled smoothly by selecting a handoff method for your AI Service Agent. A handoff occurs when the AI Service 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 the AI Service Agent. Before continuing, make sure the AI Service Agent is enabled for your Klaviyo account.

Handoff method options

When the AI Service 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 Inbox
• Zendesk
• Gorgias

The escalation process goes as follows:

1. The AI Service Agent asks the visitor if they’d like to connect with a human.
   
2. If the visitor agrees, the AI Service Agent creates a ticket 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 Inbox
     The AI Service 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
   The AI Service Agent creates a new ticket in either Zendesk or Gorgias and notifies the visitor that a human support agent will follow up via email. The chat session ends, and your support team continues the conversation from your helpdesk platform. Your replies are sent directly to the visitor’s email address.
   

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, the AI Service Agent will first ask them to provide their email address before creating the ticket.

2. Send a custom message

Set up the AI Service 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 AI Agent tab.
2. Click the gear icon in the top right corner.
3. Under Agent handoff, choose your preferred escalation method:
   1. Send to a helpdesk:
      1. Inbox (Klaviyo)
      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. Send a message:
      • Enter your custom support message, including any helpful links.
4. Click Save.

The AI Service 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 the AI Service Agent overview dashboard. These metrics show how often your AI Service 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 AI Service Agent’s training. Learn more about adding knowledge to your AI Service Agent.

Additional resources

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