Zendesk Live Agent Handoff

When AI can't resolve it — same window, full context, right agent.

When a customer needs a human, Brainfish hands off to a live Zendesk agent in the same chat window with the full AI conversation transcript already in front of them. No dead-end. No customers repeating themselves. No agents starting blind.

Overview

Every AI support tool eventually faces the same question: what happens when it can't resolve something? For most tools, the answer is a dead end — the customer gets transferred to a queue and starts over from zero, and everything they told the AI is gone.

With Brainfish Live Agent Handoff for Zendesk, the transition is seamless. The conversation stays in the same window and the full transcript is carried directly to the Zendesk agent — so they're mid-thread the moment they join, not starting from scratch.

How It Works

1. A customer starts a conversation with Brainfish in the Widget or Help Center
2. When the customer requests a human — or Brainfish determines a handoff is needed — the transfer is triggered
3. The customer stays in the same chat window. No redirects, no new tabs.
4. The Zendesk agent receives the full AI conversation transcript automatically via Sunshine Conversations
5. The agent picks up mid-conversation, already up to speed

What's Included

• Same-window handoff — the customer never leaves the chat interface
• Full transcript transferred automatically — agents see every question, what Brainfish tried, what it found, and why it's escalating
• Configurable trigger conditions — trigger on customer request, low AI confidence, or both
• Configurable handoff messaging — customise what the customer and agent see during the transition
• Alongside, not instead of — no Zendesk replacement required

Requirements

• Active Zendesk account (Support or Suite plan)
• Zendesk Sunshine Conversations enabled
• Brainfish Widget or Help Center deployed on your site or in-product
• Zendesk Live Agent Handoff configured in Brainfish — contact your account team to set this up

Setup

Live Agent Handoff is configured at the account level. To enable it:

1. Contact your Brainfish account team or email support@brainfi.sh
2. Provide your Zendesk subdomain and API credentials
3. Brainfish configures the handoff connection — takes minutes from your end
4. Set your preferred trigger conditions and handoff messaging

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the customer have to repeat themselves after the handoff? No. The full Brainfish conversation is passed to the Zendesk agent automatically. They see exactly what the customer shared with the AI before ever typing a reply.

Does this replace Zendesk? No. Brainfish works alongside Zendesk — AI handles what it can, and when a human needs to step in, they join the same conversation. No migration, no replacement.

Can we control when the handoff triggers? Yes. You can configure it to trigger on explicit customer request, when AI confidence drops below a threshold, or both.

What does the customer experience look like? The chat window stays open. A message notifies the customer that a live agent is joining. The conversation continues seamlessly — it feels like a continuation, not a transfer.