Human handover is the transition from an automated assistant to a person who can help. Microsoft’s bot guidance describes handoff events that can carry the conversation context and transcript, and distinguishes starting a handoff from an agent accepting it. Source: Microsoft: moving a conversation from bot to human

A travel example

Suppose a traveller asks to change a booking and the assistant is not authorised to make that change. A proposed handover could give the adviser the booking reference, the requested change and the conversation so far. Decide which information is appropriate to share within your own access and privacy arrangements.

Design the waiting step

We recommend telling the customer what happens next, whether anyone is currently available and how they can continue if the team is closed. Use a response time only if the business can support it. This makes the handover a usable service rather than an unanswered notification.

Test the receiving end

Ask someone to make a test request and another person to receive it. Check that the right team gets the message, can see the necessary context and can reply through the intended channel. Include an out-of-hours test before launch.

Written and updated by Travelgenix. Sources checked on 16 October 2026. Worked examples and checklists are editorial illustrations and recommendations, not customer results.