Call transfers
How a call reaches a person, what the caller hears, and how to stop transfers landing nowhere.
Before you start
- At least one transfer number that is answered during your opening hours
- A decision about what should happen when nobody picks up
What causes a transfer
| Trigger | Example |
|---|---|
| Caller asks for a person | "Can I speak to someone?" |
| Escalation topic | Complaints, safety, medical, legal or payment topics |
| Line purpose | A number whose purpose is Human transfer |
| Your own triggers | Phrases or request types you have marked as always needing a person |
What the caller hears
SIMCOAI tells the caller it is passing them to a person before it does so. Silent transfers feel like a dropped call.
Expected result
The caller hears a short hand-off message, then ringing. The transcript records the transfer and the reason for it.
When nobody answers
Decide this deliberately. The default of ringing out is rarely what you want.
- Capture a message and raise it as work for your team
- Try a second number before giving up
- Tell the caller when you will get back to them, and make sure that is true
Careful. A transfer number that is unmonitored is worse than no transfer at all — the caller waits, gets nothing, and blames you rather than the AI.
Test it properly
Ring your own number outside opening hours as well as inside. Out-of-hours behaviour is the part most often left unconfigured — see after hours.