Transfer Tools

Access: Open your agent editor and go to the Tools tab.

Phone number and SIP transfers only work during a real phone call. They cannot be tested in the web simulator — use Test Agent → Phone call to test these.

Adding a Transfer Tool

Open the Tools tab

In your agent editor, go to the Tools tab and click Add → Transfer.

Name the tool

Use a clear, descriptive name — your prompt will reference it by exact name.Good: “Transfer to Billing”, “Transfer to On-Call Manager”Poor: “Transfer 1”, “Escalate”

Choose a destination type

Select Agent, Phone, or SIP (see Transfer Destinations below).

Configure the destination

Fill in the destination details for the chosen type.

Save

Click Save. The transfer tool appears in the tools table and can be referenced in your prompt.

Using in Your Prompt

Reference the transfer tool by its exact name:

When a customer asks to speak with a human:
Explain why you're transferring them
Ask "Would you like me to transfer you now?"
Wait for confirmation
Use the 'Transfer to Support' tool

Transfer Destinations

Destination	Best when	Example
Another AI agent	You want to stay inside itellicoAI and route to a more specialized agent	Billing agent, language-specific agent
Phone number	You need to connect to a human or external destination over the phone network	Live support queue, on-call manager
SIP address	You need to route into a PBX, contact center, or SIP-enabled system	Contact center queue, internal extension

Agent Transfer

Transfer to another AI agent in your itellicoAI account.Configuration:

Select transfer type

Choose Agent

Choose destination agent

Select the target agent from the dropdown

Optional: Hold music and ring tone

In Expert mode, configure audio to play while connecting (0–300 seconds each).

Benefits: The receiving agent can access the prior conversation history. No telephony costs. Works on all call types including web calls.Expert ModeAudio settings: You can add hold music and a ring tone for agent transfers. For instant AI-to-AI routing, disable both for immediate connection.

Phone Number Transfer

Transfer to an external phone number — mobile, landline, or business number.Configuration:

Select transfer type

Choose Phone

Enter phone number

Use E.164 format: +14155551234

Must include country code (+1 for US/Canada)
No spaces, dashes, or parentheses

Phone transfers incur outbound calling costs and only work during active phone calls. They do not work in web calls or widget conversations.

SIP Address Transfer

Expert ModeTransfer to a SIP URI for integration with PBX systems and contact centers.Configuration:

Prerequisites

Ensure a SIP trunk is configured in itellicoAI and the destination endpoint is reachable.

Select transfer type

Choose SIP

Enter SIP address

Use a valid SIP URI: sip:support@pbx.company.com

SIP transfers only work during active phone calls. They cannot be used during web calls or widget conversations.

Multiple Transfer Tools

Fallback chains

Write fallback logic directly in the prompt:

Attempt 'Transfer to Technical Support'
If that fails, attempt 'Transfer to General Support'
If all fail, apologize and collect a callback number

Conditional routing

Use variables to route based on customer data:

{% if contact_account_type == "enterprise" %}
Route to 'Transfer to Enterprise Support'
{% else %}
Route to 'Transfer to General Support'
{% endif %}

Time-based routing

{% set current_hour = current_datetime | date('H') | int %}
{% if current_hour >= 9 and current_hour < 17 %}
Business hours: use 'Transfer to Support Team'
{% else %}
After hours: use 'Transfer to On-Call Support'
{% endif %}

Call End

Call ending is configured in Call Flow, not in the Tools tab. When Allow AI to hang up is enabled, the agent gets a default end_conversation capability it can use when the task is complete or the caller says goodbye. To enable: Open Call Flow → scroll to Call End → turn on Allow AI to hang up.

Once you've successfully completed their request:
1. Ask "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
2. If they say no, thank them and end the call naturally

The call ends after the agent finishes the closing turn. Make sure your prompt tells the agent to confirm the caller is done before ending.

Best Practices

Always explain before transferring

Never transfer without context. Explain who you’re connecting them to and why, then confirm.Good:

"I understand you need help with billing. Our billing team can access
your account details. Would you like me to connect you now?"

Poor:

"Hold please." [immediate transfer]

Ask for confirmation before executing

Prompt the agent to wait for a yes before transferring to avoid announcing a transfer that happens on the next turn.

"I can transfer you to our billing team. Would you like me to do that now?"
[Wait for response]
[Execute transfer after confirmation]

Gather context first

Collect a name, account number, and brief issue summary before transferring so the recipient doesn’t need to ask again.

Always define a fallback

Every transfer path needs a fallback for when the destination is unavailable.

If 'Transfer to Support' fails:
Apologize: "I'm having trouble connecting right now"
Offer a callback: collect number and best time
Confirm: "Expect a call from us within the hour"

Use E.164 format for phone numbers

✅ +14155551234
❌ (415) 555-1234
❌ 415-555-1234
❌ 14155551234 (missing +)

Testing

Phone number and SIP transfers require a real phone call to test. Use Test Agent → Phone call for these. The web simulator cannot execute telephony transfers.

Before going live, verify:

Transfer executes to the correct destination
Agent explains the transfer and confirms before executing
Failure scenarios are handled gracefully (no answer, busy, invalid destination)
Hold music and ring tone play as expected (agent transfers, Expert mode)
Conversation timeline shows the transfer event in Conversations

Troubleshooting

Transfer connects but drops immediately

Verify destination agent is active and published
Test the destination phone number independently
Check SIP trunk configuration and firewall rules

No audio after transfer

Verify RTP ports are open (typically 10000–20000)
Check NAT configuration on SIP endpoints
Ensure compatible codecs are configured (G.711, Opus)

Phone transfer fails with error

Verify E.164 format: +14155551234
Check account balance and telephony credits
Confirm the destination country is supported

Agent transfer doesn't pass context

Verify both agents are in the same itellicoAI account
Confirm the transfer is configured as an agent transfer, not phone
Check the receiving agent’s prompt for context-handling instructions

Hold music not playing

Enable Play Music in the transfer settings (Expert mode)
Set a non-zero music duration
Hold music only applies to agent transfers

SIP transfer fails to connect

Verify SIP URI format: sip:user@domain.com
Check that the SIP trunk is configured in itellicoAI
Review firewall rules for SIP traffic (port 5060/5061)
Test the SIP endpoint with a SIP client independently

Next Steps

Tools Overview

See all available tool types

Booking Calendar

Set up appointment scheduling

Custom API Actions

Connect to external systems

Phone Testing

Validate phone and SIP transfer behavior

Get Started

Build

Test

Deploy

Manage

Examples

Troubleshooting

Reference

Account Admin

Developers & Integrations

Billing & Usage

Partner Network

Legal

Transfer Tools

Adding a Transfer Tool

Using in Your Prompt

Transfer Destinations

Multiple Transfer Tools

Call End

Best Practices

Testing

Troubleshooting

Next Steps

Tools Overview

Booking Calendar

Custom API Actions

Phone Testing

​Adding a Transfer Tool

​Using in Your Prompt

​Transfer Destinations

​Multiple Transfer Tools

​Call End

​Best Practices

​Testing

​Troubleshooting

​Next Steps

Tools Overview

Booking Calendar

Custom API Actions

Phone Testing

Adding a Transfer Tool

Using in Your Prompt

Transfer Destinations

Multiple Transfer Tools

Call End

Best Practices

Testing

Troubleshooting

Next Steps