How to set the default agent and the handoff message for the team
Choose which AI agent replies by default and write the message the customer receives when the conversation goes to the team.
2 min readBasicUpdated on November 12, 2026
Where to find it in Cognizy
Video lesson coming soon. For now, follow the steps below.
The default agent is the one that replies when the conversation doesn’t have another agent set by campaign, department, or channel. The handoff message is what the customer reads when the AI hands the conversation over to a team member, so they know they’ll be helped.
Where to find it in Cognizy
Before you start
- Only the owner and administrators can change this setting.
- Service must be set to AI replies or Flows + AI. In Flows only, these options do not appear.
- Have at least one agent created in Company › AI Agents.
Step by step
- Step 1:
Open .
- Step 2:
Scroll to Default agent. Under Who replies, open the list and choose the agent that replies when no campaign, department, or channel rule applies. The change is saved right away.
- Step 3:
To review what this agent says, click Edit prompt, knowledge base, and tone of voice, right below Who replies. The link opens the agent screen.
- Step 4:
Under Handoff to the team, write in Message to the customer what the AI sends when the customer asks for an agent, when it can’t solve the issue, or when AI credits run out. If left blank, the default message shown in the field will be used.
- Step 5:
Click Save message.
- Step 6:
The notice Handoff message saved appears. At the top of the screen, Default agent shows the selected agent.
How to know it worked
The summary at the top of the screen shows the selected default agent, and the message is saved in Handoff to the team. The next time the AI hands a conversation over to the team, the customer receives this text.
If something goes wrong
The Default agent and Handoff to the team sections do not appear.
Service is set to Flows only. At the top of the screen, under Service, choose AI replies or Flows + AI.
The agent I want is not in the list.
The list shows only active agents. Open Company › AI Agents, open the agent, check Active, and save.
The Save message button is disabled.
It only turns on when the text changes. If the message is already the way you want it, you don’t need to save again. The field accepts up to 500 characters, and the counter appears next to it.
Next step
Follow the first conversations and see how to take over a conversation from the AI when needed.
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