Topic and Intent classification at handoff

Overview

Your AI Agent classifies the conversation’s Topic and Intent at the moment it hands off to a human agent. The AI Agent writes each result to a variable. You add these variables to your handoff integration, so the detected Topic and Intent travel with the handoff.

The AI Agent classifies the live conversation, so the values reflect the reason the end user reached out before the handoff. You decide how to use the values in the system that receives the handoff.

This feature needs an active Intent Intelligence taxonomy. The AI Agent classifies each handoff against your Topics and Intents.

The classified variables

Two reserved variables carry the detected classification:

ada_classified_topic holds the name of the detected Topic.
ada_classified_intent holds the name of the detected Intent.

The AI Agent sets both variables at the moment of handoff. It matches them against your active taxonomy. The variables are read-only. You reference them in a handoff, but you do not set them.

The AI Agent resets both variables at the start of each conversation. A returning end user never carries a Topic or Intent from an earlier conversation.

Use the classification in a handoff

Pass the classified variables as custom fields in your handoff integration. Any handoff integration that supports custom fields can carry the values. The system that receives the handoff then holds the detected Topic and Intent for the conversation.

To include the classification in a handoff:

In your handoff configuration, add a custom field for the Topic, the Intent, or both.
Set each custom field value to the matching variable, ada_classified_topic or ada_classified_intent.
Publish your changes.

Each variable works on its own. Add one or both, depending on what your handoff integration needs.

Behavior and limits

Keep these limits in mind when you use the classified variables:

Best effort. The AI Agent classifies within a short time budget. It may hand off without a confident Topic or Intent.
Handoff only. The AI Agent sets these variables at handoff. It does not update them on later messages in the same conversation.

For more about handoffs, see Handoffs.