When the AI transfers a call
Everything below lives in Receptionist → AI Voice → Voice tab → Handing off to a person, and only applies while Transfer to a human is on.
| Reason | What happened on the call | Where it's controlled |
|---|---|---|
| The caller asked for a person | "Can I talk to someone?" This one is always on and can't be turned off while transfers are on. | Transfer to a human |
| A trigger you picked | The caller asked about cost or price, said they already have an appointment, or mentioned an urgent issue | Transfer without being asked when… chips |
| Your own trigger | Something you typed, like "asks about a referral" | The Add your own box next to the chips |
| The caller wanted to book | You'd rather a person books every appointment | Transfer instead of booking (under What it can do). Turning it on turns off Book appointments. |
| The caller asked for a specific doctor | "Can I speak to Dr. Lee?" Off by default: the AI says the doctor isn't available and offers to book or take a message. | Transfer callers who ask for a specific doctor or provider |
A few built-in behaviors to know about:
- Cost or price. The AI doesn't quote an amount. It offers to connect the caller and only transfers if they say yes.
- Urgent issue. The AI transfers for an urgent problem that isn't life-threatening. For a life-threatening emergency it always tells the caller to call 911.
- Nowhere to send the call. If transfers go to An outside number and Transfers ring is blank, the AI takes a message instead.
- Lunch break and holiday closures. The AI never transfers during the staff lunch break or on a holiday closure. It takes a message.
- Technical errors. Under AI Voice → Advanced → Recovery & sign-off, Apologize on technical errors can also send the caller to a number if something breaks mid-call. It's off by default.
Clinical rules are instructions the AI follows on every call. A rule only causes a transfer if its "Then" tells the AI to transfer.
Where the transfer goes and what people hear
Transfers go to has two choices:
- An outside number. The number in Transfers ring. Announce to staff sets what your staff hear first: Connect immediately (no announcement), Whisper a short summary of the call, or Whisper a set phrase (you type the phrase in Staff hear).
- My team. The call rings your team in FrontDesk on the computer and in the mobile app. Whoever answers sees who is calling and why the AI handed over. If nobody answers, the caller goes to voicemail as usual.
Before the transfer the caller hears a short line, by default asking them to hold a moment while the AI connects them with a team member. You can change the line under AI Voice → Advanced → What it says while it works → Transferring to a person. You can also change what the AI says for each trigger under What the AI says for each, on the Voice tab.
An AI escalation in Tasks is not a transfer
After every call, FrontDesk analyzes the conversation. If that analysis decides a person should follow up, for example because the caller sounded frustrated or the request wasn't finished, the call appears in Tasks as an AI escalation, marked urgent. The AI handled the call to the end. These are calls to return, not calls that were transferred.
Getting fewer or more transfers
Too many transfers?
- Turn off triggers under Transfer without being asked when…, and remove custom ones you don't need.
- Leave Transfer callers who ask for a specific doctor or provider off.
- If you turned on Quote prices, you may not need the cost trigger. The page warns you when both are on.
- Turn off Transfer to a human to stop transfers entirely. The AI takes a message instead.
Not enough transfers?
- Make sure Transfer to a human is on and Transfers ring has a number (or transfers go to My team, which rings the app and the web).
- Turn on more triggers, or type your own.
- Turn on Transfer instead of booking if you want a person to book every appointment.
After you change anything, click Save Changes and place a test call. See Call handling settings for every switch on this page and Configure after-hours behavior for nights and weekends.