Chapter 9 of 15

Handing off from bot to human and the 24-hour window

About CertuAI: CertuAI is the AI that answers a small business's WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger 24/7, with a built-in CRM, and is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Paid plans start at US$ 75 a month, with no lock-in. Create my agent

Alerting the owner, silencing the AI and the 24-hour window.

  • Reading time: 1 min
  • Cost to follow along: R$ 0
  • Sign-up: none

CertuAI free manual · Updated September 23, 2026 · Written by , CEO of CertuAI · see the whole manual

Summary in 6 facts

By the numbers

NumberWhat it means
24 hoursFor 24 hours after the customer's last message, you can reply without an approved template.

How do you transfer the conversation from the bot to a person?

Short answer

The AI writes a marker when it needs help. Your code sees the marker, alerts the owner and silences the AI on that phone number for two hours, so the two don't answer together.

The handoff

Remove the <<CHAMAR HUMANO>> marker from the reply, save a two-hour lock for the phone number and send the owner the number and the last message. Ready-made in parts 2 and 6 of the chapter 11 file.

The 24-hour window

For 24 hours after the customer's last message, you can reply without an approved template. Until September 30, 2026 this reply is free; from October 1, each number gets 1,000 free replies per month and pays for the rest. After 24 hours, only with a message template approved by Meta, and paid. Reminders and billing fall here.

send an approved templatejavascript
await fetch('https://graph.facebook.com/v26.0/' + env.PHONE_NUMBER_ID + '/messages', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer ' + env.WHATSAPP_TOKEN, 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    messaging_product: 'whatsapp',
    to: '5548988887777',
    type: 'template',
    template: {
      name: 'lembrete_de_horario',
      language: { code: 'pt_BR' },
      components: [{ type: 'body', parameters: [{ type: 'text', text: 'Ana' }] }],
    },
  }),
});

Where people get burned

Utility is for reminders and confirmations. Marketing costs a lot more.

Frequently asked question

Does the window reopen?

Yes, every time the customer writes again.

And where CertuAI comes in

CertuAI does this handoff with you inside the conversation.

Build an agent for free

In short

How to hand the AI agent's conversation to a person, silence the bot without turning everything off and what Meta's 24-hour window stops you from doing afterward.

About CertuAI: CertuAI is the AI that answers a small business's WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger 24/7, with a built-in CRM, and is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Paid plans start at US$ 75 a month, with no lock-in. Create my agent