Escalation routing lets your AI chatbot direct conversations to specific Microsoft Teams channels based on what the visitor is asking about. Instead of sending every chat to one general channel, you can route sales questions to #sales, technical issues to #support, and billing inquiries to #billing - automatically, using AI.
How Escalation Routing Works in Teams
Standard live chat sends all incoming conversations to a single Teams channel. With escalation routing, the AI chatbot analyzes the conversation and determines which channel the visitor needs based on your routing instructions.
The flow works like this:
- Visitor starts a chat on your website
- Your AI chatbot responds and gathers information
- When the visitor needs human help (or the AI determines escalation is needed), the Escalate Chat to Human action fires
- The action's routing instructions tell the AI which Teams channel to send the chat to
- The chat invitation appears in the target channel, not the default channel
- An agent in that channel joins and responds
| Without Routing | With Routing |
|---|---|
All chats → #general | Sales chats → #sales |
| Agents manually transfer chats | Billing chats → #billing |
| Slower response times | Technical chats → #support |
| Agents get irrelevant chats | Each team sees only relevant chats |
Prerequisites
- Social Intents connected to Microsoft Teams (setup guide)
- An AI chatbot enabled on your widget (ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini)
- A plan with Custom Actions (Pro or Business, or a free trial)
- Multiple Teams channels created for your different departments or teams
- Social Intents installed (tab added) in each team whose channels you want to route to
Setting Up Escalation Routing
Create Your Target Channels
In Microsoft Teams, create channels for each routing destination if they do not already exist. Common examples:
#sales-chat- Sales inquiries, pricing questions, demo requests#support-chat- Technical issues, bugs, account problems#billing-chat- Payment, invoices, subscription changes
Add the appropriate team members to each channel.
Ensure Social Intents is Installed in Each Team
Social Intents needs to be installed as a tab in each team that contains target channels. If you have all your channels under one team, the single installation is sufficient. If channels are in different teams, add the Social Intents tab to each team.
Open AI Actions
Go to Chat Widgets → select your widget → AI Agent tab → Actions (left menu). Click New action and switch to the Advanced view.
Select Escalate Chat to Human
From the Action Type dropdown, select Escalate Chat to Human.
Name the Action
Give it a descriptive name like Route_To_Sales or Escalate_Support.
Write the Trigger Prompt
In the When to use field, describe when this action should fire:
"Use this action when the visitor asks about pricing, wants a demo, asks to speak with sales, or is interested in purchasing."
Set the Triggered Response
This is the message the AI sends to the visitor before routing:
"Let me connect you with our sales team. One moment."
Select the Target Channel
In the Escalation routing section, pick the destination from the Route to Teams team / channel dropdown. It lists the channels from your connected teams; click Refresh list if you just added one. Widget default sends the chat to the widget's own team or channel.
If you do not see the channel you want, choose Other (enter ID manually) and paste the channel ID, which can be found in the Teams channel URL. If a whole team is missing, open the widget's Settings tab and click Refresh Teams to resync from Microsoft Teams.
Add Routing Instructions
In the Routing Instructions field, give the AI additional context about when to use this route:
"Route to this channel when the conversation is about sales, pricing, product demos, or purchasing decisions. Do not route general support or technical questions here."
These instructions help the AI distinguish between similar routing options when you have multiple escalation actions.
Configure Confirmation (Optional)
Check Require visitor confirmation before routing if you want the AI to confirm with the visitor before routing. The visitor sees a confirmation button and must click it before the escalation happens.
Save the Action
Click Save action. Repeat this process for each department or channel you want to route to.
Example: Three-Department Routing
Here is a complete example with three escalation actions on the same widget:
Action 1: Route to Sales
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Action Type | Escalate Chat to Human |
| Action Name | Route_Sales |
| When to use | "When the visitor asks about pricing, wants a demo, is interested in buying, or asks to speak with sales" |
| Triggered response | "Connecting you with our sales team now." |
| Target Channel | #sales-chat |
| Routing Instructions | "Sales inquiries, pricing, demos, purchasing, plans comparison" |
Action 2: Route to Support
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Action Type | Escalate Chat to Human |
| Action Name | Route_Support |
| When to use | "When the visitor has a technical problem, reports a bug, needs help with their account, or has a question the AI cannot answer" |
| Triggered response | "Let me get a support specialist to help you." |
| Target Channel | #support-chat |
| Routing Instructions | "Technical issues, bugs, account problems, integration help, how-to questions" |
Action 3: Route to Billing
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Action Type | Escalate Chat to Human |
| Action Name | Route_Billing |
| When to use | "When the visitor asks about invoices, payments, subscription changes, refunds, or billing issues" |
| Triggered response | "I'll connect you with our billing team." |
| Target Channel | #billing-chat |
| Routing Instructions | "Billing, invoices, payments, refunds, subscription management, plan changes" |
Writing Effective Routing Instructions
When you have multiple escalation actions, the AI needs clear instructions to choose the right route. Follow these guidelines:
- Be specific - List concrete topics and keywords for each route rather than vague descriptions
- Avoid overlap - If two routes have similar triggers, the AI may choose inconsistently. Make the boundaries clear
- Include negative rules - "Do NOT route billing questions here" helps prevent misroutes
- Create a catch-all - Add one general escalation route for conversations that do not fit any specific category
How Rerouting Works Technically
When the AI triggers an escalation route:
- Social Intents identifies the target channel from the action configuration
- A new chat invitation is sent to the target Teams channel with the visitor's name, their page URL, and the conversation context
- The message flow is redirected to the new channel
- An agent in the target channel sees the invitation and joins
The visitor does not see any of this channel switching. From their perspective, they are simply connected to the right person.
Combining Routing with AI Chatbot Features
Escalation routing works best when combined with an AI chatbot that handles initial triage:
- AI answers common questions - The chatbot resolves routine inquiries without human intervention
- AI collects context - Before escalating, the chatbot gathers the visitor's name, issue description, and relevant details
- AI routes intelligently - Based on the conversation, the chatbot picks the right department
- Agent gets context - When the agent joins in Teams, they see the full conversation history so the visitor does not need to repeat themselves
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if no one is available in the target channel?
The chat invitation sits in the channel until an agent joins. If no one responds within your configured timeout, the visitor sees your offline message. Consider enabling the AI chatbot to handle the conversation until an agent becomes available.
Can I route to channels in different teams?
Yes, as long as Social Intents is installed in each team. The channel dropdown shows channels from all connected teams.
Can I see which route was used for each chat?
The chat activity log shows which action was triggered, including the escalation target. This is visible in the Social Intents dashboard and reporting.
Can visitors choose their own department?
You can configure the AI chatbot to ask "Are you looking for sales, support, or billing?" and route based on the visitor's answer. Write the trigger prompt to match the visitor's self-identification. Or skip the AI step: under the widget's Settings tab > Pre-chat form > Groups / departments, add departments and pick the Teams channel each one sends to, so visitors choose on the pre-chat form.
Next Steps
- Escalation Routing (General Guide) - Full reference for all routing features
- Using AI Chatbots with Teams - Configure AI to work alongside routing
- What Are AI Actions? - Compare escalation with other action types