How to reassign a WhatsApp chat without losing context
Hand a WhatsApp customer to another agent cleanly: a note on what they want, a label for the stage, a reassignment, and a one-line hello to the customer.
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- By WavesFlo team
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- 2 min read
A handover fails when the next person has to scroll to find out what was promised. Four steps prevent that: write an internal note, update the label, reassign the chat, and let the customer know who is now looking after them. In WavesFlo the note and label stay on the conversation, so the new owner sees them the moment the chat is theirs.
What are the four steps?
- The current owner adds an internal note: what the customer wants, what was quoted and when, and what was promised. Notes are for the team and are never sent to the customer.
- Update the label so the stage shows at a glance, for example from Quote sent to Negotiating.
- An admin or manager, or a team leader within their team, reassigns the conversation. A chat can also go to a whole team, for one of them to claim, or back to the queue.
- The new owner reads the note and the last few messages, then writes one line to the customer: who they are and that they have the history.
What belongs in a handover note?
WANTS: [what the customer is trying to do]
QUOTED: [item, amount, date]
PROMISED: [what we said we would do, by when]
BLOCKER: [what is holding it up]
TONE: [anything that helps, e.g. prefers calls after 6]
NEXT: [the next action and its date]Who can reassign?
| Role | Can reassign | Sees |
|---|---|---|
| Admin | Any conversation | Every conversation, including the shared queue |
| Manager | Any conversation | Every conversation, including the shared queue |
| Team leader | Within their team | Their own and their team's conversations |
| Agent | No | Only conversations assigned to them |
| Viewer | No | Every conversation, read-only |
An agent who needs to pass a chat on asks a team leader or manager, which keeps one person accountable for where every chat sits.
What goes wrong?
- The note says what happened, not what is next. The new owner needs the next action.
- The customer is not told. A one-line hello avoids confusion, because they still see the same business number.
- Two people reply. A live typing indicator shows when a colleague is already answering; the rule is that the owner replies and anyone else writes a note.
- The old owner keeps the label. Update it at the same moment you reassign.
In WavesFlo the handover note stays with the chat, and the customer keeps writing to the same business number while the new owner picks it up. The shared inbox shows who holds each conversation, so nobody has to ask.
Questions
How do I transfer a WhatsApp chat to another agent?
Add a note and update the label, then have an admin, manager or team leader reassign the conversation. In WavesFlo the note and label stay with the chat.
Are internal notes visible to the customer?
No. Internal notes are written for the team and are never sent to the customer.
Can I hand a chat to a whole team?
Yes. A chat can be handed to a team for one of them to claim, or put back in the queue.