Human Assistance

Own.Assistant has a Human Takeover feature ensuring that a live human assistant can step in when the AI chatbot doesn’t have an answer. This hybrid model ensures that customers receive the right level of interaction, whether automated or human, based on the complexity and nature of their queries.

You can define and establish working hours during which a human agent can take over the conversation after the AI chatbot is unable to answer a user's question.

NOTE: The human assistance is available exclusively as part of the customized Plan or during the Free Trial period. If this feature is important to you, consider upgrading your plan.

Setting up the Human Assistance option

Enable Human Assistance and set working hours

To offer human assistance to the user, you need to enable this feature and set the working hours for human support. You should do as follows:

• Log in to the Own.Assistant Portal
• Go to the chatbot list by clicking Chatbots in the header menu
• Click a chatbot for which you want to set up human assistance
• Click Configuration in left menu
• Find the Human Assistance configuration panel

Here you should:

• Enable the Human Assistance option
• Set working hours
• Set working week days
• Set email addresses where notification should be sent about new conversation that need to be handled by human assistance
• Click the Update button to save your settings

Human Assistance Takeover

User chooses to speak with a human agent

When the chatbot is unable to resolve an inquiry, users are provided the option to request human assistance within designated working hours.

The user should click "I want to talk with a human Agent" to receive support from a human Agent or "Continue..." to decline.

If the user selects the option to talk with a human agent, they should wait until the agent responds:

Human support taking over the conversation

Once the user chooses to speak with a human agent, an email notification will be sent to the designated email address configured in the initial setup. The email notification will include a link that directs the human assistant to the Conversation pane, where they can begin communicating directly with the user.

The Human Agent is automatically directed to the chat and the specific message where they should take over the conversation with the user. The Conversation pane includes a 'Human Assist' badge icon, indicating that the chat is in Human Agent conversation mode.

The Human Agent should use the message box located at the bottom of the chat page to communicate directly with the user: New user messages will appear at the bottom of the chat page. Once support from the Human Agent is concluded, the conversation should be handed back to the AI chatbot by clicking the "Hand back to AI" button in the header. The "Release chat" button returns the session to the shared queue, where another agent can take over.

Real-Time Intervention

Administrators can manage escalations directly within the portal without waiting for email alerts. When a conversation requires support, a "Human" indicator appears in the navigation menu. Within this view, conversations are categorized by status:

• Awaiting Action: Open requests ready for intervention. Selecting a chat allows an admin to "Take Over" the session.
• In Progress: Chats currently handled by another administrator are marked by their name in red. While these are view-only for other admins, the full history remains transparent.

Conclusion

Integrating the human agent takeover option into Own.Assistant chat service bridges the gap between AI capabilities and the nuanced needs of the customers. This feature ensures that whenever the AI reaches its limits, a skilled human agent can seamlessly step in to provide personalized and effective support.

Embracing this hybrid approach not only enhances user satisfaction but also leverages the strengths of both artificial intelligence and human expertise.

Continue reading how to train your chatbot, how to manage your chatbot knowledgebase and how to format custom file data posts.