Telephony
Smart transfer
When an agent can't resolve an issue, CONTACT.WORK shows who to hand it to. The agent sees who knows the topic, whether they're free, and whether they're working today. The transfer can be direct, or the agent can brief the colleague first so the customer doesn't have to repeat everything. Calls and chats can both be transferred – to an employee, a group, or outside the company. Every transfer is saved in the log.
Mikeskill: returnsavailableEmilyskill: returnson callSteveskill: returnslunchGroup"Returns"1 availableTools
What the platform shows
Examples
When the right transfer matters
Where the choice of colleague decides how the conversation ends.
From tier 1 to tier 2
A customer asks about an outage. Tier 1 can't fix it. The agent finds a free engineer who knows that system and briefly fills them in, then connects them with the customer. The customer doesn't wait in the general queue or explain everything again.
- Engineer who knows the system
- Briefed before connecting
- No general queue
Topicpayment failurecomplexEngineerMaxavailableIssuebriefed by voicebefore connectingCustomerwith engineerno queueTo the right account manager
A buyer calls your main number and asks about a wholesale order. The agent sees which account managers handle wholesale and which of them are working. The AI assistant suggests the one who closes these deals most often. The customer reaches a rep who will take them all the way to an order.
- Manager by specialty
- AI assistant suggestion
- The deal isn't lost
Requestwholesale ordersalesWholesale3 reps2 availableAI assistanttip: Mikecloses more oftenTransferto Mikedeal in CRMA directory of thousands of employees
In a large company, no one remembers every extension. The agent searches the directory for a contracts attorney or a refunds accountant and instantly sees whether they're working today. All that's left is to transfer the call or forward the customer's email.
- Search by area of responsibility
- Working today or not
- Call or email
RequestrefundsearchFoundE. CollinsaccountingTodaybusiness hoursby 6:00 PMTransfercall or emailchoiceIf no suitable person is available, the call goes to a group, and the first person to free up takes it.
Under the hood
How transfers work
Methods
Direct or with a consult
A blind transfer sends the customer on right away, and the agent drops off. It works when everything is clear. With a consultative transfer, the agent talks to the colleague first while the customer hears hold music, and the customer is connected once the colleague agrees. You can transfer to an employee, a group, an outside number, the IVR, or the AI consultant. Or, instead of transferring, add a colleague to the call as a third party.
- Blind transfer
- Consultative transfer
- Five destination types
Blindright awayagent drops offConsultativeafter a talkwith a colleagueRecipientperson or groupinsideRecipientexternal numberper rulesDirectory
How the platform knows about colleagues
Employees, departments, and schedules come from your intranet, HR system, or Active Directory. In the directory, they're enriched with skills, areas of responsibility, and each employee's queues.
- Data from AD and intranet
- Skills and areas
- Employee's queues
SourceActive DirectorysalesSkillswholesale, returnsdirectoryQueues"Sales", "Wholesale"2ScheduleMon-Fri 9:00 AM-6:00 PMtodayOversight
The log and "Was needed"
Every transfer is logged: who, to whom, when, and how it ended. If the agent can't reach a colleague, they click "Was needed." The colleague gets a notification. The platform records who was looking, the colleague's status, and how long they'd been in it. These flags show supervisors when the team was short-staffed.
- Transfer log
- Flag for a missed colleague
- Report on who was needed
10:14Anna → Mikecompleted10:31John looks for Ireneunavailable10:31In demandbreak 12 min10:32John → MikecompletedLaunch
How we set it up
- 01DirectoryWe connect Active Directory, your intranet, or HR system as the source of employee data.
- 02SkillsWe work with department heads to map topics and areas of responsibility, so it's clear who handles what.
- 03GroupsWe set up groups and queues for customer transfers, so a call never depends on a single person.
- 04SchedulesWe load employees' work hours, days off, and breaks, so no transfer goes to someone who isn't there.
- 05RulesWe decide where a blind transfer is enough and where a consultative one is needed, with the customer introduced to the colleague first.
- 06TrainingWe show agents how to find colleagues and use both transfer types using real examples from your business.
The economics
Guesswork transfer vs. smart transfer
| Smart transfer | Guesswork transfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it goes | A specialist who's available | A familiar number or a general department |
| The customer | The colleague already knows the issue | Repeats the question from the start |
| If the person is busy | You see it in advance and pick someone else | The customer waits or the call is lost |
| Agent's time | Finds the colleague in the directory | Looking up numbers and asking around |
| Reporting | A log and flags for missed colleagues | No idea how many transfers failed |
| Sales | To the rep who closes most often | The lead goes to whoever's around |
Requirements
What you'll need
- Directory
- User directory, intranet, or HR database
- Skills
- A list of employees' topics, products, and languages
- Schedules
- From workforce management or your own system
- Channels
- Calls, web chat, messaging apps, and email
- Reports
- A log and statistics for every transfer
- Cost
- No extra fee; skills setup billed in support hours
Preparation
What to decide up front
Q&A
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a blind and a consultative transfer?
With a blind transfer, the agent hands off the customer right away and drops off. With a consultative transfer, the agent first explains the issue to the colleague and connects the customer once they agree.
Is a note passed to the colleague?
It is. The agent writes a few words about the issue, and the colleague reads them when they take the call or chat.
What if the colleague doesn't pick up?
The transfer counts as failed. The customer returns to the agent, who picks another colleague or group.
What is "Was needed" for?
Agents use it when a customer needs a specific colleague who's unavailable. The colleague gets a notification that someone was looking for them. The platform saves who was looking, the colleague's status, and how long they'd been in it. A mistaken flag can be cleared with the "Not needed" button.
Why report on who was needed?
Supervisors see who was needed and when, while those people were on break or offline. The report helps fix schedules and breaks, so the right people are available.
Can chats be transferred the same way?
They can. A chat from a messaging app, messages from your website widget, or an email go to the colleague along with the earlier messages.
Can I discuss a chat with a colleague before handing it over?
You can, in the platform's internal chat. Meanwhile, the customer waits for a reply in their messaging app or email.
Does the colleague know what's already been discussed?
They do. They see the customer record, and with a consultative transfer the agent also sums up the issue.
Can a call be transferred to an outside number?
It can, if your company's rules allow it – for example, to an on-call specialist's mobile phone or to a partner.
Can a customer be transferred to automation instead of a person?
They can. For example, to the IVR so the customer can pay for an order or rate the conversation. And the voice AI can take routine questions.
Where do directory employees come from?
From your company's user directory or HR system. Skills and queues that aren't there are filled in right in the directory.
How does an employee show they're busy?
They set their status: Ready or Not ready. While they're Not ready, no customers are transferred to them.
Are work schedules taken into account?
They are: workdays and days off, shifts, and lunch. An employee outside their schedule doesn't show as available.
Does AI suggest who to transfer to?
It does. The AI assistant names the employee with the best sales for that service, someone who's already talked to the customer, or simply someone who's free.
Why do supervisors need transfer statistics?
They show which topics agents lack knowledge in and which colleagues are hardest to reach on a transfer. That tells you who needs training and where to fix schedules.
Do I need a directory if we're a small team?
A small team benefits too. You see right away who's working and don't have to call colleagues just to check.
How much does smart transfer cost?
The feature itself is free – it's part of the platform. Connecting the directory and setting up skills are billed in support hours.
Glossary
Terms on this page
- Supervisor
- Leads a team of agents: watches the queue and quality, helps and coaches. Learn more →
- IVR (interactive voice response)
- A phone menu: the caller hears a greeting and picks the right department. Learn more →
- Workforce management (WFM)
- Workload forecasts and agent shift schedules. Learn more →
- Backup
- Data is regularly copied to a separate place so it can be restored if something goes wrong. Learn more →
- Callback
- The customer doesn't wait on hold but asks for a callback – and gets one when an agent is free. Learn more →
- Customer record
- The screen of customer data an agent sees during a conversation. Learn more →
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