What it is
A conversation shows Awaiting staff when a person is needed: the customer asked for one, the request needs one (a complaint, a refund, a finance question, a possible safety issue), Aria said she would check with the team, or she couldn't do what was asked. Each request is a hand-off case in Context → Human attention.
Awaiting staff does not stop Aria. She keeps answering new questions and can still book while the case is open. Only Take over or Pause stops her.
How to use it
- Find the customer: the Awaiting staff tab or tile in the Inbox, My Work → Needs attention, or the Awaiting staff card on the Overview.
- Open the conversation and open Context → Human attention.
- Read What the customer said and What the customer wants, and the two clocks, for example "Reply by 3:00 PM".
- Select Acknowledge. It tells your team someone has the customer and stops the backup alert. It is not an answer to the customer.
- Select Take over so Aria stops, write your reply and select Send reply. On Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp the reply must fit Meta's 24-hour window.
- When the matter is handled, select Resolve handoff and pick what happened: Booked, Called back, Sent info, Not interested, No answer or Other. A note is optional (Other needs one). Booked offers Book appointment, which opens Visits with the booking ready for this customer.
- Decide who talks next. On the last open case, Resolve and hand back to Aria resolves it and gives the conversation back to Aria in one step. Or leave it Taken over if you will carry on yourself.
What the data means
| On the card | What it means |
|---|---|
| Title | The case type, such as Sales inquiry, Service request, Complaint or Finance question |
| Asked for a person | The customer's own words asked for a person |
| How it reached staff | Routed by Aria, Aria passed it to the team, Customer asked for a person (Aria) or Aria could not reply |
| Urgency | Normal urgency, High urgency or Urgent |
| The clocks | When someone should acknowledge and reply, counted in the location's opening hours |
The hand-off itself sends nothing to the customer. The assigned person, or the people your Handoffs rule names in Settings → Assignments, get an alert such as "A customer is waiting for a person". The alerts stay inside your team.
Possible issues and fixes
I resolved the hand-off but the chat still says Awaiting staff
Symptom: Human attention says "No open staff case." but the status chip under the customer's name still reads Awaiting staff.
Why: Resolve handoff closes the case only. The conversation's state changes only with Take over, Pause or Hand back to Aria.
Fix: Open the conversation and select More (⋯) → Hand back to Aria, or Take over if you will answer. Next time use Resolve and hand back to Aria.
How to check: The status chip reads Automation active or Taken over, and the Awaiting staff tile goes down by one.
Nobody was alerted, or nobody answered
Symptom: A customer waited and nobody on the team picked it up.
Why: The location's Handoffs rule in Settings → Assignments decides who is alerted, and the Customer waiting for a person alert can be switched off in Settings → Notifications. Escalation of unattended hand-offs is off until an Owner turns it on.
Fix: An Owner checks the Handoffs rule and turns on escalation in Settings → Assignments, and each person keeps Customer waiting for a person on in Settings → Notifications. Then answer the waiting customer.
How to check: The next hand-off sends the alert, and the case is acknowledged before its clock runs out.
The customer is waiting but I can't answer them
Symptom: You can see the case, but there are no Acknowledge or Take over buttons.
Why: You have Inbox View only.
Fix: Ask an Owner for Inbox View and change in Settings → Team & roles, or ask someone who has it to answer.
How to check: After reloading, the card shows Acknowledge and the header shows Take over.
