Gas, floods, and sparks: the calls your AI receptionist hands to a person

Some calls should not end in a message. Here is how to write the safety line, set the transfer, and test it before a real caller needs it.

November 8, 2026 · 2 min read · aiReceptionist editorial

An AI receptionist should know what it should not handle. “I smell gas” goes to a person, with a safety line first.

Three callers: HVAC, handyman, and home services

HVAC: “I smell gas.” Safety first, in your approved words. Then a person, not a message.
Handyman: “I drilled into a pipe hanging a shelf, and water is spraying everywhere.” Where the shut-off is, in your words. Then a person, fast.
Home services: “The outlet sparked and now the breaker will not reset.” Your approved safety line, then the on-call electrician.

Most calls end well with a message. A few should not. You know which ones, and your receptionist should too.

Write the safety line first

For a gas smell, the caller needs to hear what to do before anything else. Use the wording your business already gives, and put it in the knowledge base. A common one: leave the house now, and call the gas company or 911 from outside. The receptionist says it, word for word, and does not improvise.

Then hand it to a person

In the workflow builder, add a transfer node after Unified Agent. In the portal it is External Patch: it transfers the call to an external number or user. Give the connection a condition the way a caller would say it: “the caller reports a gas smell”. Choose cold or warm. Cold hands the call straight over. Warm tells the person who is calling and why. More on call transfers.