# Set up escalation and handoff

**Category:** [AI Chat Agent](https://help.totalctrl.app/hc/totalctrl/totalctrl-help-center/en-US/categories/agent)
**Updated:** 2026-10-04

## Why escalation matters

No agent answers everything. Escalation is what happens when the agent can't help or the visitor asks for a person. You configure it in the **Escalation** section of the **Configuration** tab, and you can enable more than one option.
## Escalation options

- **Create a Support ticket** — the conversation is turned into a ticket in your Support app's default mailbox, with the full chat transcript attached and the visitor's name and email as the requester. This is on by default.
- **Collect email and notify team** — set an **Escalation email to** address that gets notified when a visitor escalates.
- **Show a custom message / link** — display your own wrap-up text and an optional link (for example, to a booking page or status page).

## Live handoff inbox

When a conversation is escalated its status becomes **Escalated** and it appears in the **Handoff Inbox**, which collects escalated chats across all your agents. A team member can open a conversation and **reply directly** — the reply is delivered to the visitor's open widget in real time, so you can take over from the AI mid-chat.
## Reviewing chats

Every conversation is logged under the **Conversations** tab with its status (*Active*, *Resolved*, or *Escalated*). Open one to read the full transcript, including the sources the agent cited and any human replies. Use this to spot gaps and improve your [knowledge sources](add-knowledge-sources).

---

## Related Articles

- [Reading your agent analytics](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/agent-analytics)
- [Configuring Your Agent](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/configuring-your-agent)
- [Test your agent before launch](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/test-your-agent-before-launch)
- [Conversations and the Handoff Inbox](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/agent-conversations-inbox)
- [Restrict the agent to your sites with Allowed origins](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/agent-allowed-origins)

---
[← Back to TotalCtrl Help Center](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/)