> ## 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.

# When a caller asks for a person

> What your Brilo agent does when somebody asks to speak to a human, and how to make sure it happens quickly.

When a caller asks for a person, your agent should transfer them, and it will only do that if you have set up a
transfer and told it to. Getting this right matters more than almost anything else you configure: a caller who has
asked twice and been refused is the worst experience this product can produce.

## What good behaviour looks like

* **First ask, straight through.** No qualifying, no "I can help you with that", no third attempt to answer.
* **A warm handover**, so your colleague knows who is calling and why.
* **A clear fallback** when nobody is available: a message, a callback, or a direct number by text.
* **Never a dead end.** The caller always leaves the call knowing what happens next.

## Making it happen

Two things are required, and one of them is usually missing:

1. **A transfer action on your agent**, with a number and a fallback. See
   [Pass the call to a person](/actions/pass-the-call-to-a-person).
2. **An instruction telling your agent to use it**, for example:

```
If the caller asks to speak to a person, transfer them straight away. Do not try to answer the
question again first. If the transfer cannot be completed, apologise, take their name and
number, and tell them somebody will call back within [your real timescale].
```

Without the second, your agent has the ability to transfer and no reason to. That is the commonest cause of an
agent that "refuses" to fetch a human.

## When nobody is available

Decide this in advance rather than leaving your agent to improvise:

* **Out of hours**, take a message and say when somebody will be in touch.
* **When the transfer is not answered**, use the fallback number, then take a message.
* **When the caller insists**, give them a direct number or send it by text rather than arguing.

## Does a transfer count as a failure?

No, and this is worth understanding. A call where your agent recognised it needed a human and handed over
smoothly is a **good** call, and it is scored that way: a clean transfer counts as a resolution. What scores badly
is a caller who demanded a human repeatedly because your agent kept failing. See
[Pulse Score](/reports/pulse-score).

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Will my agent put someone through to a human when asked?">
    Only if you have added a transfer action and told it to in its instructions. Both are needed. Test it by
    asking your own agent for a person, because assuming this works is a common and expensive mistake.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I make it transfer immediately rather than trying again?">
    Say so explicitly: transfer straight away and do not attempt to answer the question first. Agents left to
    judge it will often try once more, which is exactly what annoys the caller who already asked.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens out of hours when nobody can take the call?">
    Your agent still answers, and what it does next is up to your instructions: take a message, offer a callback,
    or send a direct number by text. Restrict transfer hours so it does not ring a mobile at 2am. See
    [Business hours and after hours](/calls/business-hours-and-after-hours).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does a transfer count as a failed call in my reports?">
    No. A smooth transfer counts as a good outcome, because recognising it needs a human is the right thing for
    your agent to do. Repeated demands for a human after failed answers are what score badly.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can a person join the call rather than taking it over?">
    No. The supported route is a transfer, where the call is handed over. A colleague cannot silently listen or
    join a call in progress.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why did my agent refuse to transfer?">
    Almost always because no transfer action is attached, or because nothing in the instructions told it when to
    use one. Check those two before anything else. See
    [An action did not run](/actions/an-action-didnt-run).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Pass the call to a person](/actions/pass-the-call-to-a-person) to set the transfer up
* [Route calls to the right team](/calls/route-calls-to-the-right-team) for more than one destination
* [Business hours and after hours](/calls/business-hours-and-after-hours) to limit transfer hours
* [Pulse Score](/reports/pulse-score) for how transfers are scored
* [Write what your agent says](/agents/write-what-your-agent-says) for the instruction that makes it happen