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Module 03 · Lead Handling

Routing Hot Leads to a Human in Real Time

20 minfocused lesson5practical steps4grounded questions3source links
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On this lesson

Course outline

A hot lead is only useful if a prepared person accepts it. Real-time routing needs an eligibility rule, queue ownership, acknowledgement, timeout, reassignment, and after-hours behavior. Sending a notification is not the same as completing a handoff.

After this lesson, you can design a human-transfer contract and test that no conversation disappears between bot and agent.

// concept

Define the Handoff Packet

Every transfer should contain:

// prompt — copy me11 lines
case_reference
contact_reference
reason_for_handoff
current_state
verified_answers
unknowns
consent_scope
last_user_message_at
service_window_expires_at
assigned_team
response_target

Exclude sensitive data that the agent does not need. Provide a transcript link under role-based access rather than copying customer messages into public channels.

// concept

Create the Queue State Machine

// prompt — copy me5 lines
CREATED → ASSIGNED → ACKNOWLEDGED → IN_PROGRESS → RESOLVED
             ↓ timeout                 ↓
          REASSIGNED               PENDING_CUSTOMER
             ↓
          ESCALATED

For each transition name the actor and event. A bot may create and assign; an agent must acknowledge. A supervisor or rule handles timeout. Resolution requires an outcome code and customer-facing confirmation where appropriate.

WATI documents team inbox assignment and Assign User/Assign Team chatbot nodes, with some nodes limited by plan. Verify the live plan and test behavior; never sell a workflow based only on a screenshot.

// concept

Set Honest Service Targets

Define separate targets for acknowledgement and substantive response. Example:

// prompt — copy me4 lines
Business hours: Mon–Sat, 10:00–18:00 PKT
Priority sales acknowledgement: 10 business minutes
Substantive response: 30 business minutes
After hours: queued for next opening; urgent cancellation uses published phone route

These are sample targets. Set them from staffing and measure the 50th and 90th percentile, not only the average.

// worked_example

Worked Example

A Lahore B2B equipment supplier identifies a qualified request with product code, city, required date, and published budget band. The bot summarizes the request and asks permission to transfer. It creates Q-24071, assigns Industrial Sales, and tells the customer the listed service target.

If no agent acknowledges within ten business minutes, the case reassigns to the duty queue and alerts the supervisor. The second agent sees the original data and does not repeat the intake. If the 24-hour service window is near expiry, the interface warns the agent; any later business-initiated message must use an appropriate approved template. The weekly report shows created, acknowledged, resolved, timed out, and abandoned cases.

// failure_cases

Failure Cases to Diagnose

7 cases to diagnose

  • Round robin assigns an offline agent

    include availability and timeout handling.

  • Agent says hello but does not own the case

    require acknowledgement and state change.

  • Customer repeats every answer

    attach the verified handoff packet.

  • Bot promises a five-minute reply at midnight

    use business-hour-aware targets.

  • Multiple agents reply

    lock or visibly assign case ownership.

  • A private transcript is posted to a broad chat group

    use controlled inbox access.

  • No outcome code

    the team cannot learn why leads fail.

// pakistan_angle

Pakistan Angle

Design around Pakistan Standard Time, prayer and meal breaks, weekly schedules, and declared public-holiday coverage without stereotyping availability. If the business serves overseas clients, show the customer’s timezone and PKT together to prevent missed appointments.

Connectivity can interrupt agents. The queue must persist server-side and reassign safely instead of depending on one browser tab. Publish a verified phone or email route for urgent issues, but do not expose an employee’s personal number unless that is an approved company channel.

// hands_on

Hands-On Exercise

5 steps

  1. Define the handoff packet and remove unnecessary fields.

  2. Draw created-to-resolved states with actors.

  3. Set business hours, acknowledgement target, response target, and timeout.

  4. Test online, offline, after-hours, duplicate-agent, and near-window-expiry cases.

  5. Build a weekly queue report with percentiles and outcome codes.

// completion_rubric

Completion Rubric

6 checks — tick as you verify

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// sources

Sources

3 official sources — check every claim yourself

// check_yourself

Check yourself

4 questions · answers and options are taken word-for-word from this course

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  1. 1 / 4 · diagnose

    Your work shows this failure mode: “Round robin assigns an offline agent.” What does the lesson tell you to do about it?