Top Tips for Handling Bot-Initiated Calls

As automation becomes more common in customer journeys, agents are increasingly stepping into conversations that have already begun with a bot. The result? Confused and frustrated customers who are still looking for answers as well as someone to blame.

To handle these moments well, agents need to master a different set of key skills to get the conversation back on track. That’s why we asked our consultants panel for their top tips on how to transform these handovers into opportunities for reassurance and connection.

Briefly Summarize What the System Shows – Before Asking Additional Questions

Agents should briefly summarize what the system shows before asking additional questions.

For example: “From what I can see, you were checking the status of your order. Is that right?” This confirms understanding and avoids customers feeling they are starting again.

When customers know the agent already has some context, trust builds faster.

Contributed by: Sean Spurgin, Learning Director at Elev-8 Performance

Use Strong “I” Statements to Take Ownership

On bot-initiated calls, reassurance is critical. Agents should use confident “I” statements that demonstrate ownership and control.

For example, using phrases like “I can resolve this for you today” or “I’ll take ownership of this and get it sorted” immediately shift the tone to human-led support. This builds confidence and helps de-escalate the interaction.

Managers play a key role in embedding these behaviours, coaching agents on how to acknowledge bot interactions, clarify effectively, and use language that reassures.

Contributed by: Rebecca Whittaker, Partnership Operations Manager at Customer Contact Panel

For advice on how else call centre advisors can take control of customer contacts, read our article: Training Your Team to Take Ownership

If the Customer Has Already Passed Security, Make Sure That Information Transfers As Well

If the customer has completed security with the bot, that information should transfer as well. This allows the agent to open the conversation confidently:

“Hi Miss Jones, thanks for waiting. I can see you’ve already passed security with our automated assistant and were checking on a delayed delivery. Let me find out where your parcel is and when it’s going to be delivered.”

That short acknowledgement reassures the customer they have been heard and removes the expectation that they will need to repeat themselves.

Contributed by: Elaine Lee, Managing Director and Consultant, Reynolds Busby Lee Limited

Make Sure Agents Can Also See the Customer’s Sentiment So They Can Adjust Their Approach Immediately

Don’t just give your agents a short summary of what has happened so far, give them the sentiment of the interaction too! This additional context helps the agent understand how the experience has unfolded before they step into it.

If the conversation score is low or sentiment has become more negative, the agent knows they may be entering a moment that requires reassurance and careful handling.

If sentiment improved during the interaction, the customer may already feel partially supported. In either case, the agent can adjust their approach immediately rather than piecing the situation together from scratch.

Contributed by: Jack Brittain, Consultant, Enfuse Group

Replace “AI-Bashing” With True Ownership

Bot-to-agent handovers may feel new, but the problem they create is not. Contact centres have been dealing with broken handovers for decades and every cold transfer between departments carries the same risk: lost context, repeated explanations, and a customer who feels they are starting again.^[1]

AI has not introduced this problem. But it has made it more visible and offered an easy way to apportion blame on the technology.

This matters, because if we misdiagnose the issue as “a bot problem”, we default to predictable solutions: improve the technology, refine the scripting, train the bot harder. All of which help, but none of which fully solve the experience.

The more interesting opportunity sits with the receiving agent. When a handover lands badly, something subtle happens psychologically. The previous interaction becomes “other”. Whether that is another department or an AI, it is easy to dismiss it as flawed, incomplete, or irrelevant. This is a form of outgroup bias in action.^[2]

Outgroup homogeneity bias is the idea that people who are ‘like us’ are nuanced and complex. Whereas people that are not ‘like us’ are similar. The bias encourages us to create stereotypes for these groups: “sales people don’t care about the customer”; “customers are all the same”; “management don’t know what this job is like”.

The result is AI-bashing, or internal blaming, rather than ownership.

Skilled advisors do the opposite. They actively bridge the gap. They acknowledge the prior interaction (“I can see what’s been covered”), reduce customer effort (“you won’t need to repeat everything”), and take responsibility for moving things forward (“let me pick this up from here”). In doing so, they turn a fragmented journey into a coherent one.

Contributed by: Danny Wareham, Founder & Director of Firgun

Don’t Just Apologize Vaguely and Hope for the Best

The first sixty seconds matter more than anything that follows. Your agents need to acknowledge the bot interaction immediately and specifically.

• Not a generic “I understand you’ve been waiting” as that’s filler.
• Say something concrete: “I can see what you’ve already shared, and you won’t need to repeat it.”

That single statement does more to de-escalate than any empathy technique in your training manual! After all, de-escalation in this context isn’t about softening your voice. It’s about demonstrating the system worked, even when it felt broken.

Agents who understand the bot’s design intent, what it was trying to do and where it typically struggles, can explain the experience plainly. Agents who don’t will apologize vaguely and hope for the best.

Contributed by: Michael Clark, Co-Founder and Principal Consultant of CXTT Consulting

Encourage Agents to Position Themselves as Problem-Solvers

De-escalation techniques are vital. Calm tone, patience, and positive language help defuse frustration. Agents should avoid blaming automation, instead positioning themselves as problem-solvers who bring clarity and resolution. Say, for example, “Don’t worry, John, I am here to ease the process.”

Organizations should also provide real-time context tools, ensuring agents see the bot’s transcript and customer intent before answering. This empowers agents to respond confidently, bridging the gap between automation and human care.

Contributed by: Molly Naidoo, Managing Director, Telecommunications Sales Mastery Academy

For practical de-escalation techniques contact centre agents can use, read our article: The Best De-Escalation Techniques

…And Always Give Agents a Two-Line Snapshot of What Has Already Happened

One of the most effective ways to improve bot-to-agent handovers is to give agents a short, usable summary of the interaction before they answer the call.

Agents simply do not have time to read long transcripts while a customer waits on the line. What works best operationally is a two-line snapshot of what has already happened, with additional detail available if needed.

Contributed by: Elaine Lee, Managing Director and Consultant, Reynolds Busby Lee Limited

What Have You Tried to Help Your Human Agents Handle Bot-Initiated Calls?

Click here to join our Readers Panel to share your experiences and feature in future Call Centre Helper articles.

For more information on using technology in the contact centre, read these articles next:

• Where Self-Service Scheduling Tools Have the Biggest Impact
• What’s the Difference Between a Chatbot and an AI Agent?
• Where Are Contact Centres REALLY Seeing AI Success?

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Xander Freeman