> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.telzino.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Warm Transfer

> Hand calls off to a human with a private briefing and keypad (DTMF) accept/reject confirmation.

A standard [Call Transfer](/functions/call-transfer) connects the caller straight through to the destination. A **Warm Transfer** goes a step further: your agent places the caller on hold, dials the destination, privately briefs the person who answers on the conversation so far, and only connects the caller once that person accepts the handoff. If they decline — or never pick up — your agent returns to the caller and continues the call.

## How a Warm Transfer Works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Caller is placed on hold">
    The caller hears hold music while your agent reaches out to the destination. You can supply your own hold music or use the built-in default.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Agent dials the destination">
    The agent calls the destination from your Warm Transfer Rules. The same destination formats as regular transfers are supported: US phone numbers, `pbx:` / `ext:` extensions via a [SIP Registration](/sip/sip-registration), and SIP addresses.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Private briefing">
    When the destination answers, your agent introduces itself, summarizes the conversation so far, and can answer questions about the call — all without the caller hearing any of it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Accept or reject">
    The human accepts or rejects the transfer with their keypad or verbally (see below).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Calls are connected">
    On acceptance, the caller is bridged to the human and your agent drops out of the call. On rejection, the agent takes the caller off hold and continues the conversation.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Accepting or Rejecting with the Keypad (DTMF)

At the end of the briefing, your agent tells the person who answered:

> "Press 1 on your keypad to accept the transfer, press 9 to reject it, or let me know verbally."

* **Press 1** — accept. The caller is connected immediately.
* **Press 9** — reject. The agent returns to the caller and follows your rules for what to do next (for example, trying a different destination or taking a message).
* **Respond verbally** — saying something like "send them through" or "I can't take this right now" works too.

<Info>
  Keypad confirmation is especially useful when the transfer lands on a busy team member or in a noisy environment — one keypress completes the handoff without any back-and-forth with the agent.
</Info>

Keypad input isn't limited to warm transfers: callers can also trigger **regular transfers** by pressing keys (for example, "press 1 for sales"). See [Keypad (DTMF) Rules](/agents/instructions#keypad-dtmf-rules) for how to set that up.

## Enabling Warm Transfer

Open your agent's settings — in the **Dashboard** under your agent's settings page, or in the **Connect app** in the agent editor — and find the **Warm Transfer** section.

| Setting                        | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| ------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Enable warm transfer**       | Turns the feature on for this agent.                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| **Warm Transfer Rules**        | Plain-language rules describing when to warm transfer and to which destination — for example: "If the caller asks for billing, warm transfer to ext:1002."                                                                    |
| **Hold Music** (optional)      | An MP3 or WAV file (max 4 MB) played to the caller while on hold. Upload one in the agent settings, or via the API with [Upload Hold Music](/api-reference/agents/upload-moh). Defaults to built-in hold music if left blank. |
| **Pass through caller number** | When on (default), the destination sees the original caller's number as the caller ID. When off, your agent's number is shown instead.                                                                                        |

<Note>
  Warm Transfer availability is controlled per organization. If you don't see the Warm Transfer section in your agent settings, contact your administrator or service provider.
</Note>

### Example Warm Transfer Rules

```plaintext theme={null}
If the caller has a billing dispute, warm transfer to ext:1002.

If the caller asks for Eric, warm transfer to +15125551234.
First confirm with the caller that they would like to be transferred.
```

## What Happens If…

* **The destination doesn't answer or is busy** — the agent takes the caller off hold, lets them know, and continues per your instructions (for example, trying another destination or taking a message).
* **The human rejects the transfer** — same as above; the agent returns to the caller.
* **The caller hangs up during the briefing** — the agent informs the human before ending the consultation call, so nobody is left waiting on a dead line.

## Use Cases

* **Escalations**: brief a support lead on the issue before connecting an upset customer.
* **Sales handoffs**: pass a qualified lead to a rep along with everything the caller already shared.
* **Screening**: let on-call staff accept or decline a call with one keypress before the caller is connected.