Every complaint about business AI agents comes down to the same thing: being trapped. The handoff is what prevents that, and it deserves more thought than it usually gets.
Always hand over
- The customer asks for a person. No negotiation, no "let me try to help first".
- Complaints, returns and refunds — these need judgement and often goodwill.
- Anything the agent cannot answer from the shop’s catalogue or documents.
- Emotional or angry messages. Software should not try to calm someone down.
- Unusual requests: bulk orders, custom work, wholesale pricing.
The rule of thumb: if answering it wrongly would cost the shop a customer or money, a person should answer it.
What good handoff looks like
A handoff should be one message, honest and unfussy — not a form, not a ticket number.
The other direction matters too
The shop owner should be able to open any live chat, take over, and type as themselves — then hand it back to the agent when they are done. Without that, automation feels like something happening to your business rather than something you control.
A useful test when evaluating any tool: can you jump into a conversation right now, from your phone, and reply as a human? If not, you are not really in charge of your own WhatsApp.