What a transfer does
A transfer hands the live call to a human at a phone number you set. The caller stays on the line, the Finn steps aside, and the conversation continues with a person. Transfers are configured as the built-in Call Transfer tool (call_transfer_to_human) attached to a Conversation step in the workflow editor.
The transfer is cold. The Finn says a short handoff line, then connects the caller to the destination. The human receives the call without a spoken or written briefing.
Configuring the tool
In the workflow editor, select the Conversation step where escalation should happen and attach Call Transfer. Describe in that step's instructions when the Finn should transfer.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Transfer to number | The destination. Use E.164 format (country code + number), for example a human's mobile, an office line, or a queue. |
| Message before transfer | What the Finn says right before handing off. Defaults to "Sure, connecting you to a human agent now — one moment." |
Call Transfer is a terminal tool. Once it runs, the Finn's part of the call is over.
Free-form escalation
A Finn without a workflow is not given the Call Transfer tool. Its handoff number is passed into the prompt as text, but the Finn has no way to connect the call to it. If a Finn needs to transfer, build a workflow and attach Call Transfer to the step where escalation happens.
For inbound, always leave an easy "I'd like a human" path. Some callers hang up the moment they hear AI, and a caller who has to argue with an agent to reach a person is a complaint waiting to happen. See Inbound routing.
What goes wrong
The destination does not pick up. This is the most common transfer failure. The human side is busy, off-shift, or the number is wrong. There is no configurable fallback back to the Finn, so make sure the destination is staffed whenever the Finn can transfer to it.
Transfer happens too early. If Call Transfer is attached to a step before the Finn has collected the context the human needs, the human starts from nothing. Attach it to a step after the data collection you actually need, unless the whole point is speed.
Transfer volume is higher than expected. Inbound receptionist patterns typically transfer 15-30% of calls, tier-1 support 25-40%. If you are well above that, the usual cause is knowledge base gaps. The Finn cannot answer, so it escalates. Audit the top caller questions against your knowledge base before blaming the transfer logic.
The call ends instead of transferring. Check that Call Transfer is attached to the Conversation step you think it is, and that a transfer number is set. A Call Transfer tool with no number cannot connect the caller.
Tracking transfers
There is no built-in transfer status. To count transfers, define a post-call field for it (transferred, yes/no). See Call outcomes and Call logs.
Testing
Use Test → Phone call, not Simulation chat. Simulation chat doesn't run tools and cannot dial a real destination, so the only way to confirm a transfer works end to end is to run a real call and answer at the destination. Do this before launching, and re-test whenever the destination number changes.
Not yet settled
There is no documented API endpoint for configuring transfer destinations. Transfer setup is done in the workflow editor in the dashboard.