--- title: "Forward to Agent Step" slug: "forward-to-agent-step" updated: 2026-05-18T10:55:36Z published: 2026-05-18T10:55:36Z --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.commbox.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Forward to Agent Step ## Overview When the automation is unable to resolve the customer’s concerns or issue, the automation journey should be transferred to a human agent or to a different AI agent flow. Chatbots and AI chatbots can also transfer the conversation to another AI agent. Simply select the desired AI Agent. ![Forward to AI agent - canvas.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/Forward%20to%20AI%20agent%20-%20canvas.png){height="" width=""} Since transferring to a human agent is a central function of any automation, this guide outlines the best practices and functionality of the **Forward to Agent** step for Chatbots and AI Chatbots. To illustrate a typical call center setup, we will include the [Business Hours](https://help.commbox.io/docs/article-business-hours){target=`_blank`} module and briefly explain how channel settings influence the forwarding process. ## Key Considerations A. The **Forward to Agent** step should be the last step in a branch of the flow. B. By default, the step opens a new conversation (object) on the same channel in which the flow is currently running. C. You can route the conversation to a different team by selecting a different channel in the **Change Channel** step settings > **Static Channel**. ![Static.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/Static.png){height="" width=""} When choosing **Dynamic Channel** as the forwarding mode, the destination channel is determined at runtime based on the values assigned to **ForwardStreamId** and **ForwardSubStreamId** in the **Set Variables** anywhere in the flow. ## Best Practice #### Step 1: Configuring Auto Messages AI Agents should tailor their response before transferring to a human agent based on the **current availability status** of the channel: • **Active** - The channel is active and has available agents ready to receive calls. • **Busy** - The channel is active, but no agents are currently available. • **Inactive** - The channel is not active. • **Off business hours** - There are no agents present due to non-working hours. 1. Navigate to **Settings** > **Business Hours** module, and select (or create) the appropriate channel that will be use with the flow. 2. In the **Auto Messages** section, entered the messages for the active and inactive/off business hours availability statuses. ![business hours module.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/business%20hours%20module.png){height="" width=""} 3. Click **Save** at the top of the page. 4. Navigate to **Settings** and select the communication type you want to use for the flow. 5. At the **Business Hours** section of the Channel settings, select the Business Hours channel you just configured, and click **Save** at the top of the page. ![WA Buisness hours channel.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/WA%20Buisness%20hours%20channel.png){height="" width=""} 6. At the **Auto Messages** section, enter the Overload (busy) message and click **Save** at the top of the page. ![busy auto message - WA.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/busy%20auto%20message%20-%20WA%281%29.png){height="" width=""} #### Step 2: Building the Flow 1. Create a new **Say** Step and add three child branches: “During Business Hours”, “Off Hours”, and “Busy”. ![Entry condition 1.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/Entry%20condition%201.png){height="" width=""} 2. Configure **Availability Entry Condition** for each child: **For “During Business Hours”:** a. At the **Entry Conditions** capability, click **+Add Condition** > **Availability Condition**. b. Select the relevant channel and subchannel (substream) and set the state to **Active**. ![active channel.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/active%20channel.png){height="" width=""} c. Check the **Add Availability Message**, so the customer receives the default **business-hours** response configured for that channel, and select the appropriate channel. ![add availanbilty message.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/add%20availanbilty%20%20message.png){height="" width=""} **For “Off Hours”:** a. At the Entry Conditions capability, click **+Add Condition** > **Availability Condition**. b. Select the relevant channel and subchannel (substream) and set the state to **Inactive**. c. Add a second Availability Condition and set it to **Off Hours**. d. Ensure the logical operator between these conditions is **OR** (the branch triggers if either condition is true). ![Inactive channel.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/Inactive%20channel.png){height="" width=""} The **Say** step should look something like this: ![off hours condition.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/off%20hours%20condition.png){height="" width=""} e. Check the **Add Availability Message**, so the customer receives the automatic off-hours message. **For “Busy”:** a. At the Entry Conditions capability settings, click **+Add Condition** > **Availability Condition**. b. Select the relevant channel and subchannel, and set the state to **Busy**. c. Check the **Add Availability Message** so the customer receives the channel’s **overload (busy) auto message** (set at the channel settings). ![busy auto message.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/busy%20auto%20message.png){height="" width=""} 3. Add a new **Forward to agent** step to each of the three branches. ![add forward steps.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/add%20forward%20steps.png){height="" width=""} **Note:** Even when no agents are available, the flow will still create **a new conversation in Open status**, allowing an agent to call back the customer later. If preferred, organizations may add an **End Step** instead to avoid opening a new object when there are no agents available. ![end step.png](https://cdn.document360.io/cce107c7-3390-46bd-a6cf-3120b27c4105/Images/Documentation/end%20step.png){height="" width=""}