When a caller asks for a person, it hands over
A client phones your firm the afternoon before a hearing and wants her paralegal. GreetKeeper transfers to your team when a caller asks, or when it's unsure of the answer.
Caller
“I have a custody hearing at nine tomorrow and I just got a new filing from the other side. I need to talk to Marisol, please.”
What happened next
- Transferred to Marisol Vega, paralegal, at the client's request
- Captured: Renee Calloway, 555-0119, new filing received before tomorrow's hearing
- Everything said before the handoff kept in the transcript
Two triggers, both under your control
A handoff happens for one of two reasons. Somebody asks for a human, or the assistant reaches a question it can't answer.
Nobody should have to argue with software to reach a person. If your client says “can I speak to someone”, that's enough. The assistant doesn't push back or pretend the option isn't there. Transfers are on every plan, Starter included.
The second trigger matters as much. GreetKeeper answers the questions you train it on. When a conversation goes past that, say into whether a continuance is likely or what a filing means, it doesn't improvise. It says it will get someone, and it transfers to your team.
You still get the record. Every call arrives as a transcript and a short summary, and that includes the part before the handoff. Afterwards, anyone at the firm can read why Renee rang and what she was told before Marisol picked up.
Unsure is a good reason to hand over
Here's the second trigger on a different phone. A homeowner asks a plumber's line something the owner never covered.
- The assistant answers what you taught it and stops where your answers stop.
- It tells the homeowner plainly that it's bringing in a person.
- You choose who that person is during setup.
- The unanswered question shows up in the transcript, so you can decide whether to teach it.
Caller
“Before you book me in, does moving a gas line for a new range need a permit in Tacoma? My contractor says no and I don't believe him.”
What happened next
- Permit question isn't in the shop's answers, so transferred to the owner
- Captured: Glen Ostrowski, 555-0163, gas line move for a new range
- Summary marks the permit question as still open
Setting up handoffs
Most of this is deciding who should be interrupted, and for what.
Name who receives handed-over calls
Give the assistant the person it should transfer to. At a small firm that might be the front desk. For a two-van plumbing outfit it's usually the owner's mobile. Then nominate a second number, which it tries if the first doesn't answer.
List the requests that always go to a human
Some conversations shouldn't be handled by software: a client in distress, a complaint, money owed. A routing rule sends those straight to your team.
Teach it where its answers end
Every question you train it on is one less interruption. Leave out anything only a professional should say, like a legal opinion or an exception on price.
Test it by asking for a human
Ring your own line, ask for a person mid-sentence, and watch your phone. Then read the transcript.
What triggers a handoff, and what doesn't
Five situations, side by side. The last column is what's waiting for you afterwards.
| The person calling | The assistant | Afterwards you have |
|---|---|---|
| Asks for a human, by name or by role | Transfers to your team. Asking is enough. | The transcript up to the handoff, plus a summary |
| Asks something you never covered | Says it's unsure instead of guessing, then transfers | The open question, in the person's own words |
| Wants something you told it to book | Books into your calendar. No handoff needed. | A calendar entry and the call record |
| Matches a rule you marked humans-only | Transfers without trying to handle it | Their name, number and reason for calling |
| Is being transferred, and the first phone rings out | Tries the second number you nominated | The same transcript and summary, whoever picks up |
Where handoffs stop
Handoff questions
Can someone skip the assistant and go straight to a person?
They can ask at any point, including in their first sentence. The assistant transfers to your team when a caller asks. It doesn't need a reason and it won't try to talk anyone out of it.
What does my colleague know when they pick up?
A transcript and a short summary arrive with every call, and they cover everything said before the handoff. It can also text the person on call with the caller's details, so the context is on their phone as it rings.
What happens if nobody answers the transfer?
It tries a second number you nominate. If the backup doesn't pick up either, the assistant comes back to the caller and takes a message, so nobody is left listening to a ring. Test that path before anything else.
Should I just have it transfer every call?
You could, but then you've bought a very polite switchboard. The calls it finishes alone are where you save time. Keep transfers for requests that need judgment.
How does it decide it's unsure?
It answers the questions you train it on. Outside that material, it doesn't invent a reply. It says so, then transfers or takes a message, whichever you set.
Ask it for a human, and see what happens
Bring a call your team should always take. We'll run it on the demo while you watch your phone.