Agent mode
In agent mode, a human operator takes control of the conversation: automated flows are paused for that contact and the agent replies manually. When done, they return control to the automatic flow.
When to use it
When a customer escalates to human support, has a complex complaint, or needs personalized attention the bot can't handle.
Steps
- 1Open the conversation in the Inbox.
- 2Click the «Take control» (or «Agent mode») button.
- 3The automatic flow pauses for this contact. Incoming messages appear in the Inbox but don't trigger the flow.
- 4Reply manually from the Inbox text field.
- 5When done, click «Return to bot» so the automatic flow resumes the conversation.
Reference
- Flow pause
- Only affects the specific contact. Other contacts continue being handled by the automatic flow.
- Visual indicator
- The conversation in agent mode shows a person/agent icon in the Inbox list.
- No auto-timeout
- Agent mode doesn't expire on its own. The operator must return control manually.
- History
- The operator sees the complete conversation history, including messages from the automatic flow.
Common errors
- Bot keeps responding in agent mode
- Verify agent mode is active (icon visible). If the flow uses a different channel than what's in the Inbox, there may be confusion.
- «Return to bot» not working
- Reload the Inbox. If it persists, it may be a sync error — check the status in the conversation panel.
Next step
Learn to reply to messages with attachments.