Know when a person must take over
The situations where the WhatsApp agent needs a person, where each one shows up in Inbox, and how to step in and hand back.
Purpose
The WhatsApp agent answers first, but some things need a person. It never just stops: it either passes the patient to your front desk or flags the conversation for you.
| Situation | What the agent does | Where it shows |
|---|---|---|
| It can't tell who is asking to move or cancel a visit | Tells the patient the front desk will help | Handed over, with Blocked and Needs you |
| The patient needs the doctor, or asks something it can't answer | Takes a message for your team | Handed over, Wanted: A call back |
| It couldn't confirm a booking it was making | Tells the patient the clinic will call back | Escalated |
| It promised a call back without saving one | Tells the patient staff will respond | Escalated |
| The patient asks a medical question | Doesn't give medical advice | The conversation. A doctor or your team must answer |
Before you start
the Owner, Doctor and Front Desk roles can take over a conversation. Finance can't.
Steps
Step 1: Check Handed over
Doopen Inbox and select Handed over.
You'll seeeach patient waiting, oldest first, with what they want, for example Cancel · WhatsApp, and
how long they've waited, for example Waiting 40m.
Sothese patients were promised a call back. A wait turns red after an hour.
select one to see Wanted, Visit and Note. For a request the agent couldn't match to a
patient, Blocked says why and Needs you says what to do.
Step 2: Check Escalated
Doselect Escalated, then open each conversation.
You'll seeESCALATED and needs a human above the conversation.
Sothe agent is still answering, but something it said needs a person to follow up.
Step 3: Take over a conversation
Doopen the conversation and select Take over.
You'll seeYou're handling this — the assistant is paused, it resumes when you hand back.
Sothe agent stops replying here, and you reply as the clinic.
Step 4: Hand it back
Dowhen you're done, select Hand back.
You'll seeThe assistant is handling this thread.
Sothe agent answers the patient's next message again.
Result
You'll seenothing waiting under Handed over and Escalated, and each conversation back with the agent.
If it doesn't work
- If you see: A name followed by is handling this., or has controlA colleague has it. Ask them, or an Owner can select Force hand back
- If you see: Only an admin can force hand back.Ask your clinic Owner
- If you see: Take over to reply in the reply boxSelect Take over first (step 3)
- If you see: The assistant took this back while you were typing — take over again to reply.Select Take over again
- If you see: Could not take over. Try again.Try again. If it keeps failing, your role may not allow it. Ask someone with the Owner, Doctor or Front Desk role
- Working: You're handling thisYou have it. Hand it back when you're done (step 4)
Limits
putting a patient through to a person live is not available. A hand-over is a call back.
some clinics have the front desk confirm every move or cancel. Then each request arrives in
Handed over, and nothing changes until you make it.
alerting your team about a possible emergency works only where it's switched on for your
clinic. It's off by default.
for a cancel or move request, make the change in Calendar before you select Mark done.
Checked against the Keel product source and in the live product on 2026-10-10. The Handed over and Escalated tabs in Inbox and a hand-over reply in the list were observed. Opening a handed-over item, taking over, handing back and the escalated marker were not exercised.