Call forwarding & transfers

Call forwarding lets an agent hand a live call to a person when your conditions are met. How you configure it depends on the agent's conversation design:

• In Questions & forwarding, you use a flat list of forwarding rules.
• In Questions & conditions, forwarding is a forward action on a trigger.

Both end up doing the same thing at call time.

Forwarding rules (simple mode)

Enable Call forwarding on the agent, then add one or more rules. Each rule is:

If <condition in plain language>, transfer to <phone number>.

For example: If the caller has an urgent maintenance issue, transfer to +44 7700 900123.

• The number must be in international format (with a country code), e.g. +1 555 123 4567.
• You can add several rules; the agent transfers on the first one whose condition is met in full.

Forward triggers (Questions & conditions)

In scenario mode, add a trigger, give it a condition, and enable the Forward action with a number. You can combine say and ask on the same trigger — the agent will say your line and collect any extra questions, then connect the caller.

Forwarding ends the agent's part of the call

When a trigger forwards, the agent does not go back to finish standard intake afterwards. The moment a forward condition applies, the agent connects the caller — it won't keep asking the remaining questions first.

How a transfer behaves

When the agent decides to transfer:

1. It says one short, natural line first — "Sure, let me connect you now, one moment please." — so the caller always hears the hand-off.
2. It connects the caller in the same turn (it never promises a transfer and then forgets to do it, and it never announces the transfer twice).
3. A transfer is not treated as the end of the call — the agent doesn't say goodbye or sign off; it just connects.

Caller asks for a human, but no condition matches

If a caller simply asks to speak to someone without meeting a specific forwarding condition, the agent does not transfer. Instead it explains that it's the AI assistant handling the line, assures the caller their details will reach the right person, and continues collecting information.

Make conditions explicit

Transfers only happen on conditions you define. If you want "asks for a manager" to forward, add that as an explicit condition.

Channel differences

• Phone (PSTN) calls are transferred by dialing the configured number.
• Web and test calls signal the browser to hand off — no outbound phone call is placed from the server.

Verifying it works

Place a test call and trigger your condition out loud. You should hear the agent's connecting line, after which the transfer is signalled. Test calls won't dial a real phone, so this confirms the decision, not the dialing.

Related

• Conversation design — Choose how an agent runs a call — simple intake, Questions & conditions (scenario), or a Decision tree.
• Getting started — From signing in to your first live call — the fastest path through Vocadesk.
• Phone numbers — Attach a phone number to an agent so inbound calls are answered automatically.
• Troubleshooting — Common issues with agents, calls, and embeds — and how to fix them.
• Configuring an agent — Set an agent's persona, voice, language, greeting, knowledge base, and intake questions.