The AI Agent handles customer queries in live chat using automated responses. After an admin enables the AI Agent, the AI Agent operates 24/7, including outside business hours, to provide continuous coverage.

Customer experience in live chat

When the AI Agent responds to a customer message, BoldDesk may display customer action options that control escalation and closure:

• Talk to a Person: escalates the chat to a human agent by reassigning the conversation.

• That Helped: resolves the chat by marking the conversation as resolved and closing it.

  

Escalation and closure behavior

Customer escalation (customer-selected actions)

• If the customer selects “Talk to a Person”
  BoldDesk immediately reassigns the conversation to a human agent (if a human agent is available).

• If the customer selects “That Helped”
  BoldDesk marks the conversation as resolved and closes the conversation.

Offline hour handling (no human agents available)

If the customer escalates but no live agents are available, the AI Agent handles the escalation flow using the following behaviours:

• Offline Message
  BoldDesk sends an automated message informing the customer that agents are unavailable.

• Offline Form (optional, if enabled)
  BoldDesk displays a Contact Us option so the customer can submit details.

• Ticket Creation
  The customer can create a support ticket through the Contact Us option.

Agent controls during AI Agent conversations

Manual takeover (override AI Agent responses)

Agents can take over an AI Agent conversation by changing the assignee from the AI Agent to a human agent.

• After a human agent takes over, the AI Agent will not respond further in that conversation.
• Agents cannot assign the conversation back to the AI Agent.

Assisting customers who are stuck or confused

If a customer is stuck interacting with the AI Agent, a human agent can provide direct assistance by assigning the conversation to a human agent (manual takeover).

Escalation triggers (what exists and what does not)

BoldDesk supports escalation from AI Agent to a human agent only in these cases:

• The customer selects Talk to a Person
• A human agent manually takes over by changing the assignee

BoldDesk does not currently support configurable keyword-based escalation triggers (for example: automatically transfer to a human agent when the customer mentions a specific word or topic).

Performance insights for AI Agent responses

Agents can review past AI Agent interactions to identify gaps and improve responses. Learn more on Unanswered Questions by AI.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Does the AI Agent run only during business hours?
   No. Once enabled by an admin, the AI Agent operates 24/7, including outside business hours, to provide continuous live chat coverage.

2. How can a customer escalate from the AI Agent to a human agent?
   A customer can escalate by selecting Talk to a Person, which reassigns the conversation to a human agent (if a human agent is available).

3. Why don’t I see “Talk to a Person” or “That Helped” in some chats?
   These options are not displayed for simple interactions such as greetings, thank-you responses, or welcome messages.

4. What happens if a customer requests a human agent when no agents are available?
   When no live agents are available, BoldDesk can:

   • send an Offline Message explaining agents are unavailable,
   • show an optional Offline Form (Contact Us) if enabled, and
   • allow Ticket Creation through the Contact Us option.

5. Can BoldDesk automatically transfer chats to a human agent based on keywords (for example, specific problems)?
   No. BoldDesk does not currently support configurable keyword-based escalation triggers. Escalation happens only when:

   • the customer selects Talk to a Person, or
   • a human agent manually takes over by changing the assignee.

Related article

Admin Guide: Enabling AI Agent in Live Chat