How to build a voice agent that transfers to a human

Building a voice agent that can seamlessly transfer to a human involves creating a system where the agent recognizes when it cannot handle a request, such as a refund outside policy or a billing dispute, and initiates a "warm handoff" to a human agent without losing context. This process is achieved using AssemblyAI's Voice Agent API, which utilizes a tool called "transfer_to_human" that triggers when certain escalation conditions are met, as described in the agent's system prompt. The handoff process includes generating a concise summary of the conversation, ensuring the human agent is informed of the situation before speaking to the caller, which relies on an accurate transcription provided by the API's Universal-3.5 Pro Realtime model. During the transfer, the agent uses a "hold" execution mode to remain silent, avoiding awkward small talk, and updates the caller on the status to prevent confusion. The actual phone routing is handled by a telephony provider like Twilio, with AssemblyAI providing guidance for integrating the API with such services, ensuring a smooth transition and maintaining customer trust.

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