Knowing when to hand over to a human.

Define the boundary before launch

An enquiry assistant needs a clear scope: what it can answer, what it can action and what requires approval. Write those boundaries down before connecting tools or switching on customer messages.

Uncertainty is a handover signal

Conflicting information, complaints, sensitive requests and questions outside approved knowledge should trigger a safe next step. A clear “I’ll ask the team to help” is better than an invented answer.

Make the handover actionable

Decide who receives the enquiry, what context they get and how ownership is acknowledged. A notification that nobody acts on is not a completed handover. Plan a fallback when the usual person is unavailable.

Review what the system couldn’t handle

Use escalations to improve approved information and routing. Some repeated questions can become safe automated answers. Others should remain human-led. The goal is a useful division of work, not automation at any cost.