How does Chatref handle human handoff for complex insurance questions?

When an insurance question goes beyond what the AI can confidently answer - policy fine print, a unique claim scenario, or a coverage dispute - a live agent can step in without disrupting the visitor’s experience. Chatref’s shared inbox gives your team a real-time view of every active chat, with the full thread visible. An agent simply picks up the conversation where the AI left off; the visitor never has to repeat themselves.

No additional routing rules or complex integrations are required. The shared inbox is a feature you activate on any Chatref agent, and you decide which team members will monitor and respond. Once handed off, the agent continues the same chat session, maintaining the thread and any collected information.

Before a handoff, it’s critical to have the right context ready. Custom actions let you structure exactly what details the AI collects during the chat - policy numbers, claim dates, vehicle information, or even uploaded documents. When you configure a custom action for insurance intake, the AI agent pauses to gather the required fields before offering a handoff or escalating the chat.

For example, you might build a “File a Claim” action that asks for the policy holder’s name, the claim type, and a brief description. Once the visitor completes these steps, the live agent sees all of it in the shared inbox the moment they take over. No digging through separate systems or asking the visitor to repeat information.

When a chat is escalated, the agent opens the shared inbox and sees exactly what the visitor has been discussing with the AI. The full conversation history is displayed chronologically, along with any tags, lead capture data, or custom action submissions. The agent can pick up the conversation naturally, referencing previous replies, and apply their expertise to complex insurance questions like interpreting underwriting guidelines or advising on a denied claim.

From the visitor’s perspective, nothing changes - the same widget, the same chat window, now with a human on the other side. This continuous thread keeps the interaction smooth and professional, essential for high-stakes insurance conversations.

How to set up human handoff in Chatref?
Open your agent settings and enable the Shared Inbox. Add the team members who will monitor and respond to handoffs. Once saved, those users can log in to the Chatref app, see live conversations, and take over any chat with a single click.

What happens when a chat is escalated?
The assigned live agent immediately sees the full conversation history, any custom action data, and visitor details inside the shared inbox. They can reply in real-time, continuing the same thread. The visitor experiences a seamless transition, with no interruption in the chat.

Can I see the full conversation history?
Yes. The shared inbox stores every message in the thread, from the AI’s initial greeting to the visitor’s last response. You can scroll back through the entire exchange at any time, even after the chat has ended, making it easy to review complex insurance interactions.