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How to take over a conversation and reply manually

Pause the AI in one conversation, answer the person yourself from the Inbox and give the conversation back to the agent when you're done.

Last updated 20 days ago

When you take over a conversation, the AI stops answering it and you reply to the person yourself from the Inbox. Use it when someone asks to talk to a person, when the agent couldn't answer, or when you want to close a sale yourself.

Step 1: Take over the conversation

In the Inbox, open the conversation. At the top you'll see AI active. Click Take over at the top right, or the Take over link in the green notice above the message box.

Step 2: Reply to the person

You'll see the message You have taken over the conversation. From now on:

  • The top of the conversation shows Human takeover, and the list tags it with Human.

  • A yellow notice says AI is paused. You are in control of this conversation.

  • The agent doesn't answer this conversation.

Write your reply in Type a message... and send it. The person receives it on the channel they wrote from.

Step 3: Give the conversation back to the AI

When you're done, click Enable AI in the yellow notice. You'll see AI is now active, the top shows AI active again, and the agent goes back to answering this conversation.

Tip: The agent doesn't answer while you're in control. Give the conversation back to the AI when you finish, so the person isn't left without an answer.

Technical reference

  • Replies from your phone: if you answer a WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook conversation from the mobile app, the agent pauses for 5 minutes and then answers again on its own. You don't need to take over from the Inbox.

  • Web widget: you can also take over conversations from the chat on your website. The person sees your reply right away, or the next time they open your site.

  • Failed conversations: if the agent couldn't answer, taking over and replying removes the failure mark.

  • Human tab: in the Inbox, the Human tab shows all the conversations someone on your team is answering.

Common problems

Someone may have taken over that conversation. Look for Human next to the contact’s name in the list, open it and click Enable AI.

The AI is handling the conversation. Click Take over first.

Another app connected to your Instagram, such as a CRM with its own automations, may be controlling that conversation. In that case, Instagram only lets that app reply. In Meta Business Suite, set Lety as the default app for your Instagram conversations, and turn off the other app's automations that send Instagram messages.

Done

You can now step into any conversation and hand it back to your agent when you finish.

Need help? Contact support from your platform's home view. Include the contact's name and the channel of the conversation.

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