When to use
Agents that guess on edge cases create risk and frustration.
Example scenario: Support bot hits billing edge case; loops in human with ticket ID in-chat.
Anatomy
UI pieces that make this pattern recognizable.
- Clear pause message and reason code
- Warm handoff with transcript and collected fields
- Human agent visible in same thread or inbox
Guidance
Do
- Distinguish 'offer human' vs 'immediate handoff'
- Never blame the user for hitting an edge case
Avoid
- Do not loop infinitely on 'let me try again'
- Do not drop conversation context on escalation
Limitations
When this pattern adds friction or fails to help.
- Over-escalation burns human capacity and signals weak automation
- Under-escalation on high-stakes domains creates liability
- Handoffs that drop structured fields force humans to re-ask questions
Build notes
Implementation hints for engineers shipping the pattern.
- Configurable escalation rules + natural-language guidance
- Route to queue with priority based on intent and sentiment
Examples
Annotated screenshots from production products, with designer critique.
Production screenshots for this pattern are not in the gallery yet. Use the Guide to audit your product, or check the Crosswalk for related catalogues.