AI Agent Escalation Breakdown for Conversations
Quack’s AI Chat Agents are designed to resolve support conversations end to end. In certain situations, Quack may escalate a conversation - either as expected per your setup or due to system or AI limitations. Understanding escalation types helps you fine-tune your setup and continuously improve self-service coverage.
Escalation Overview
🟢 Handled Successfully by Quack
Fully Resolved by Quack: Issue was answered and session closed.
User Dropped After Response: Quack answered, but the user didn’t follow up.
🟡 Expected Escalations (Per Training)
By Instructions: Case escalated due to training guidelines.
User Requested Agent: User explicitly asked to speak to a human.
Strict Mode Triggered: Escalation due to fallback being disabled.
🟠 Skipped (Per Configuration Rules)
Topic Not Released: Subject not enabled for Quack to handle.
Advanced Filters: Ticket did not meet Release Manager rules (e.g., brand, tag).
🟢🟡 Quack Handled
Total tickets that Quack either resolved or escalated to a human agent.
🔴 Unexpected Escalations (AI Limitations)
Knowledge Gap: Missing or insufficient training data.
Low Confidence: Quack was unsure and avoided answering.
System Error: Escalation caused by a bug or malfunction.
Out of Policy: No existing guidelines on the topic.
⚪ Abandoned Conversations
No User Input: Chat opened but user never typed.
Details by Escalation Type
🟢 Handled Successfully by Quack
Fully Resolved by Quack
What it means: Quack provided an answer and the conversation was completed - no human agent needed.
What to do: No action needed. Review transcripts for quality or training insights.
User Dropped After Response
What it means: Quack responded, but the user did not follow up or abandoned the chat.
What to do: No action needed unless you notice a pattern indicating confusion or dissatisfaction.
🟡 Expected Escalations (Per Training)
Topic Not Released
What it means: The requested topic isn’t enabled or released for Quack to handle, as configured in your dashboard.
Action: Release additional topics
Out of Policy
What it means: The request is restricted due to explicit business, legal, or compliance policies.
Action: Update briefs if policies change.
💡 Pro Tip: If you want Quack to collect details before escalating, you can set it up in your briefs.
User Requested Agent
What it means: The user explicitly asked for a human.
Examples: “Can I talk to a person?” “I need a human.”
Action: No action required. These are user-driven escalations.
Strict Mode Triggered
What it means: Your configuration (Strict Mode) blocks Quack from attempting fallback responses.
Action:
Add training for the topic if appropriate
Consider adjusting Strict Mode settings
🟠 Skipped (Per Configuration Rules)
Topic Not Released
What it means: The requested topic isn’t enabled or released for Quack to handle, as configured in your dashboard.
Action: Release additional topics
Advanced Filters
What it means: The ticket did not meet your Release Manager rules, such as specific brand, tag, or custom filters - which prevented Quack from responding.
Action: Review and adjust Release Manager filters if you want Quack to handle more ticket types.
🔴 Unexpected Escalations (AI Limitations)
Knowledge Gap
What it means: Quack could not answer due to missing or insufficient training data.
Action:
Expand training data for more coverage and edge cases.
Add or update articles for uncovered topics.
Improve article structure for better mapping.
Low Confidence
What it means: Quack was unsure or user phrasing was too vague to match with high confidence, so it escalated.
Action:
Refine phrasing and add ambiguous edge cases to training.
System Error
What it means: Escalation was triggered by a technical failure (timeout, API error, backend issue).
Action: Contact Quack team for investigation and resolution.
⚪ Abandoned Conversations
No User Input
What it means: The chat opened but the user never typed a message, or was abandoned after the first message.
Action: No action required. These sessions are excluded from escalation analysis.
Quick Reference: Who Owns What
Escalation Type | Owner | Action Item |
Topic Not Released | Your team | Enable topics as needed |
By Instructions | Your team | Update briefs if policies change |
Advanced Filters | Your team | Adjust Release Manager Rules |
User Requested Agent | User | No action required |
Strict Mode Triggered | Your team | Add training or update configurations |
Knowledge Gap | Shared (You + Quack) | Expand training, update articles |
Low Confidence | Shared (You + Quack) | Refine phrasing, add edge cases |
Out of Policy | Your Team | Expand Training |
System Error | Quack | Report and monitor |
No User Input | User | No action required |