We’ve all been there. Reaching out to a company not because you want to, but because you need to. Rage clicking, entering “human” or “representative” in a chatbot, or even yelling it into the phone. Thinking to ourselves: “Why can’t I just connect to a person?”
What if, instead of keeping customers in an automated, dead-end loop of increasing frustration, you leverage agentic AI to detect these signals and automatically connect them to the right expert? And if customers are on your digital property - like an authenticated portal, e-commerce site, or even a mobile app - AI automatically initiates a cobrowsing session with the customer without the agent having to make that call?
The triggers: the agentic AI methodology for proactive escalation
Cue agentic AI. Leveraging interaction data, previous history, or even sentiment, you can train your AI agents to identify specific conditions or trigger events that signal the need for a smart transfer to a human agent. Instead of waiting for a customer to become frustrated and abandon a session, the AI agent proactively detects signals of distress, complexity, or system failure.
Let’s take a closer look at the key events that can trigger an AI-driven escalation.
Behavioral and sentiment red flags
One of your agentic AIs should be trained to recognize signs of customer struggle long before they explicitly ask for help. Using sentiment analysis and behavioral tracking, the system can detect:
Repeated failed attempts or looping. When a customer asks the same question multiple times without proceeding, navigates back and forth between options, or spends an excessive amount of time on a single step. For example, repeatedly asking, "How do I reset my password?" but not taking action flags a problem.
Negative sentiment or frustration. Triggers can be tuned to detect frustration, urgency, or dissatisfaction through sentiment analysis of customer messages. Keywords like “this isn’t helping” or “I’m stuck,” as well as behaviors like typing in all caps, are clear indicators that human intervention is needed.
High-stakes and complex scenarios
Some inquiries are too sensitive or complex for even agentic AI to handle alone. The system should automatically escalate when it identifies:
High-risk or sensitive topics: Inquiries involving fraud, billing disputes, account lockouts, or security concerns require a human touch. The AI agent should also be trained to detect legal or regulatory terms like “chargeback” or “identity theft” that mandate human intervention.
Complex or multi-step inquiries: When a customer’s request requires approvals from multiple departments, involves policy exceptions, or needs dynamic decision-making beyond the agentic AIs' pre-set logic, it’s time for a human expert. Examples include a customer requesting a mortgage modification, applying a promotional interest rate, or using funds from a linked savings account in one transaction.
System and understanding failures
Even the best agentic AI has its limits. A robust escalation strategy accounts for scenarios where the technology itself is the barrier.
Low AI confidence or unclear intent: If the AI agent fails to match a customer’s intent to a known workflow, provides multiple fallback responses like “I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” or detects a complex, multi-part question, it should escalate immediately.
Transaction or authentication failures: When a customer fails multiple login attempts or identity verification checks, or when errors occur during payment processing or form submissions, a human agent can step in to resolve the issue and save the transaction.
Device or system errors: If the agentic AI detects technical issues, such as an unresponsive interface, a page-loading error, or an app malfunction that has the customer stuck, it should trigger a handoff.
Making the handoff seamless: the technology behind the trust
A smart transfer is more than just connecting a customer to the next available human agent. To be effective, the handoff must be contextual, frictionless, and immediate. This is where the synergy between agentic AI and a visual collaboration tool like Glance becomes critical for building trust.
An effective transfer process is built on a flexible, event-driven workflow, often managed within a CRM, CCaaS, or combination of best-in-class CX tech. When a trigger is detected, the system does more than just route the call or chat.
The agentic AI leverages sentiment and intent analysis to also determine the suitability of visual collaboration. For example, if the intent is "login error" or "form navigation," the AI agent could
tag the interaction for visual support. The system then uses routing to connect the customer to a human agent with the right expertise, and Glance’s intelligent connect capability allows a cobrowsing session to be initiated without the human agent needing to click any buttons or make that decision.
For the customer, permission must still be granted for the human agent to view their webpage or mobile app. Glance auto-generates a secure, one-click join request that appears on the customer's screen. When the customer grants permission, the human agent can then instantly cobrowse to guide them visually through the complex issue, turning a moment of frustration into a productive resolution.
The business outcome: from efficiency to loyalty
By intelligently combining AI-driven escalation logic with seamless visual collaboration, organizations move beyond simple cost reduction to achieve measurable improvements in tangible business results. The expected benefits include:
Faster issue resolution - Intelligently routing customers to the right human agent with full context reduces Average Handle Time (AHT) and improves First Contact Resolution (FCR). The visual context provided by Glance lets human agents go directly to the root of the problem, dramatically accelerating the path to a complete resolution.
Reduced agent workload - Allowing agentic AI to handle what it can do best frees human agents to focus on the high-value, complex interactions that require their expertise. Automatically triggering that the session is right for visual collaboration reduces the cognitive load on your agents. This eliminates one more decision they have to make, allowing them to focus purely on expert guidance.
Optimized operational efficiency - Intelligently prioritizing escalations ensures that critical customer issues are handled swiftly and effectively, transforming your support center from a cost center into a value driver. By defining specific, high-value triggers (like fraud or conversion failure), you ensure people are used when they can have the greatest impact, such as saving revenue or deepening the customer relationship.
Improved customer experience and loyalty - A frictionless, context-rich handoff demonstrates that you value your customer's time, transforming potential frustration into loyalty and trust. This visual, human-augmented approach turns what could have been a session-abandoning moment into a powerful experience that is proven to drive higher satisfaction and retention.
Customers don’t want theater; they want authenticity and practical help when it matters most.
The future of customer experience lies in this seamless collaboration between AI and humans - where technology accelerates processes and people provide the irreplaceable connection that builds lasting trust. By automating session triggers and leveraging agentic AI to pinpoint visual needs, Glance empowers your team to resolve issues faster, delight customers, and drive measurable ROI. To explore further, contact us for a demo.