> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brilo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pass the call to a person

> Set up transfers so your Brilo agent can hand a caller to the right person, with a spoken handover, a fallback, and hours when transfers are allowed.

Set up a transfer and your agent can put a caller through to a person: straight through, or after telling your
colleague what the call is about. This is the action customers most often wish they had switched on sooner,
because it is what stops a caller who wants a human feeling stuck.

## Before you start

* The phone number that should receive transfers, and a second number as a fallback.
* A decision about the handover style, from the three below.
* Ten minutes, and somebody available to answer your test transfer.

## The three handover styles

| Style                                     | What your colleague hears                 | Use it when                                       |
| ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Cold transfer**                         | Nothing. The caller is simply put through | Speed matters more than context                   |
| **Warm transfer with message**            | A message you wrote, the same every time  | You want a consistent heads up                    |
| **Warm transfer with contextual summary** | A short summary of this specific call     | Your team needs to know why the caller is ringing |

The contextual summary is the one worth the extra few seconds. Your colleague picks up already knowing who is on
the line and what they want, which is the difference customers notice.

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add the transfer action to your agent">
    Open your agent, go to **Actions**, and add a transfer action.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the number to transfer to">
    Enter the number that should receive the call. Add a **fallback phone number** as well, which is used when
    the first number cannot take the call.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the handover style">
    Pick one of the three above. If you choose a warm transfer with a message, write the message now.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Decide when transfers are allowed">
    Leave it as any time, or attach a set of availability hours so your agent does not ring a mobile at
    midnight. Outside those hours it takes a message instead.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tell your agent when to use it">
    Add a line to your instructions naming when to transfer, for example when the caller asks for a person, or
    when the call is urgent. An action with nothing in the instructions may never be used. See
    [Write what your agent says](/agents/write-what-your-agent-says).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## You will know it worked when

* You ask your agent for a person on a test call and your phone actually rings.
* On a warm transfer, you hear the summary or the message before the caller is connected.
* The call record shows the transfer and its outcome.

## What happens when nobody answers

The transfer falls back: your agent tries the fallback number, and if that also fails it returns to the caller
and follows your instructions. Write what should happen in that case, because "the transfer failed" is a moment
the caller experiences as silence otherwise.

The common failure reasons are worth knowing: the receiving phone rang out, it went to voicemail, or the person
declined the call. All three look the same to the caller and different on the call record. See
[An action did not run](/actions/an-action-didnt-run).

## What else you can do here

* [Route different callers to different people](/calls/route-calls-to-the-right-team) by adding more than one
  transfer.
* [Schedule a callback](/actions/schedule-a-callback) instead of transferring when nobody is available.
* [Restrict transfer hours](/calls/business-hours-and-after-hours) so nobody is rung out of hours.
* [Send a text](/actions/send-a-text-or-email) to the caller with your direct line as a backup.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can my agent transfer a call to a person?">
    Yes. Add a transfer action, set the number, and tell your agent when to use it. It can put the caller
    straight through, or explain the call to your colleague first.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is the difference between a cold and a warm transfer?">
    A cold transfer connects the caller immediately with no explanation. A warm transfer tells your colleague
    what the call is about first, either with a message you wrote or a summary of that specific call, so they
    answer already knowing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens when nobody picks up?">
    Your agent tries the fallback number you set, then returns to the caller and does whatever your instructions
    say. Set the fallback and write that instruction: an unanswered transfer with no plan is experienced as
    silence.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I stop transfers happening at night?">
    Yes. Attach availability hours to the transfer action and your agent takes a message outside them instead of
    ringing somebody. Your agent still answers the call itself around the clock.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I transfer to a mobile number?">
    Yes, and most small businesses do. Use a number that will not change hands, and remember the person receiving
    it hears a call from your Brilo number rather than the caller's.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Will my agent transfer whenever a caller asks?">
    Only if your instructions say so, and they should. A caller who has asked twice for a human and been refused
    is the worst experience this product can produce. See
    [When a caller asks for a person](/calls/when-a-caller-asks-for-a-person).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does a transferred call count twice towards my usage?">
    No. The minutes your agent was on the call count once. See
    [What counts towards my usage](/account/what-counts-towards-my-usage).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why do my transfers fail or drop?">
    Usually the receiving number rang out, went to voicemail, or declined. The call record distinguishes these,
    so check it before changing settings. See
    [An action did not run](/actions/an-action-didnt-run).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [When a caller asks for a person](/calls/when-a-caller-asks-for-a-person) for the behaviour to aim for
* [Route calls to the right team](/calls/route-calls-to-the-right-team) for several destinations
* [Business hours and after hours](/calls/business-hours-and-after-hours) to limit transfer hours
* [Schedule a callback](/actions/schedule-a-callback) as the alternative to transferring
* [An action did not run](/actions/an-action-didnt-run) when a transfer fails