OTRS : A Lesson About Chatbot to Live Agent Handoff from My Teenage Son

Integrating data sources.

Often, chatbots can't successfully resolve an issue with the customer because the customer has a specialized use case. Give your agents as much information as possible about their customer by integrating multiple data sources into customer profiles. That way, agents can start thinking about possible resolutions even before speaking with the customer.

Using FAQs and templates with purpose.

Self-service tools are great time and money savers. However, keep in mind that when a customer is handed off to an agent from a chatbot, they have already tried the self-service approach: it didn't work for them. So, be careful about directing them to templated replies and FAQs at this point. Certainly, there may be cases where it's necessary, but if there is something the agent can assist with in that moment, now is the time to bring the case to resolution without redirecting them.

Whether your chatbot is built on a rule-based system or advanced AI, the same things are required when it comes time to handoff to a live agent. You must be able to provide your agents with clear background information, the ability to quickly research the customer before connecting and a few basic customer service reminders. Pulling these together will ensure that customers don't have to repeat themselves again and again, thereby feeling more satisfied with the entire experience.

(As for my son? Well, I guess we're just going to have to keep working at it!)