Escalation (human handoff)
Escalation, also called human handoff, is the moment an automated conversation passes a candidate to a person. It happens when the candidate asks for a recruiter or when a question needs one. A good handoff tells the recruiter who the candidate is, why they need help and what was already said.
Automated screening handles the questions that repeat for every candidate. Some conversations still need a person: a candidate with a question about their contract, a doubt about a work permit or a plain wish to talk to someone. Escalation is how the software recognises those cases and gets a recruiter involved.
When should a conversation go to a person?
Common reasons to hand over:
- The candidate asks for a person. That request should always be honoured.
- A question the assistant should not answer. For example about pay agreements, a contract or a work permit.
- A doubtful answer on a must-have. A recruiter checks it instead of the software deciding. See knock-out question.
- A complaint or a sensitive situation. A candidate who is upset or shares personal circumstances.
- A technical problem. The candidate cannot hear the assistant or the chat breaks off.
Set these reasons in advance, so the assistant and the recruiters handle them the same way every time.
How does a live transfer differ from an escalation message?
| Live transfer | Escalation message | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | The call is passed to a recruiter while the candidate waits | The assistant ends politely and alerts the recruiter |
| Needs | A recruiter free at that exact moment | A recruiter who follows up soon after |
| Works outside office hours | Only when someone staffs the line | Yes, the alert waits for the morning |
| Risk | The candidate waits on hold or gets cut off | The follow-up comes too late |
A live transfer feels faster, but it depends on a staffed desk. An escalation message works at any hour, as long as the team follows up quickly.
What should a handoff include?
A recruiter who picks up an escalated candidate should not have to start over. A good handoff carries:
- Who the candidate is, with the vacancy they applied for.
- Why they need a person, in one clear reason.
- The phone number, so the recruiter can call back.
- What was already said, as a link to the conversation or a short summary.
Why does escalation build trust?
Candidates accept an AI assistant more easily when they know a person is one step away. The same holds for recruiters and works councils. A clear route to a human makes automation safer to use. It is also a basic part of human oversight in hiring, which rubber-stamping explains from the other side.
How does Ringtime hand candidates to your team?
Ringtime's AI assistant flags a candidate for a person when the candidate asks for one or when the conversation needs one.
- The assistant ends the conversation politely and marks the candidate as escalated.
- Each escalation carries one of a fixed set of reasons, from "asked for a person" to a work permit question.
- Your office can get an escalation email with the reason, the phone number and a link to the conversation.
- The escalated candidate shows up in the Ringtime web app and in your applicant tracking system (ATS).
- The assistant can call the candidate back later if your team asks for it.
To keep a person in the loop for every hard case, see how Ringtime screens candidates.
