Transfer & Three-Way
Pass the Call On. Nobody Starts Over.Warm transfer, cold transfer and three-way calling, from the call bar.
Send a call straight on, or put the caller on hold and brief your colleague first. Or bring everyone into a three-way call, introduce the customer, and leave while they keep talking. The recording carries on through every handoff, as one file.
- Cold, warm or three-way
- A private word first
- One recording throughout
How a call moves through it
- Your rep is talkingAnd decides who should take over
- Cold transferSent straight to a person or queueWarm transferThe caller holds while you brief
- Merge to three-wayIntroduce them, then step out
- Your colleague takes overSame call, same recording
Handoffs That Feel Like One Call.
Brief your colleague privately while the caller hears hold music, then hand over with the context.
Merge into a three-way call, make the introduction, and leave. The other two keep talking.
Cold transfer to a person, team, role, queue, menu, voicemail box or outside number.
Handoffs never interrupt the recording or start a second one.
Transfer a Call in Three Steps.
Choose Who Should Take It
A colleague, a team, a queue, a menu, a voicemail box or an outside number.
Pick Cold or Warm
Send it straight on, or hold the caller and talk to your colleague privately first.
Hand Over or Merge
Complete the transfer, or bring everyone into a three-way call and step out when you are done.
Three Ways to Pass a Call On.
Straight to a person, team, role, queue, menu, voicemail box or outside number. If nobody answers, their own fallback takes over.
The caller waits with hold music while you talk privately to a colleague or an outside number, then you hand over.
Bring your colleague into the caller’s call. Introduce them, then drop your line while they keep talking.
Warm vs Cold Transfer: What Is the Difference?
A warm transfer is a handoff where you speak to the next person before passing the call, so the customer doesn’t have to explain everything again. A cold transfer, or blind transfer, sends the call straight on with no conversation first.
In Adoptiv, a warm transfer moves the caller into a separate hold with music while a second line rings your colleague or an outside number. That conversation is private to the two of you and gets its own call record, linked back to the original call. The caller hears hold music, never your conversation. Warm transfers go to a colleague’s extension or an external number.
A cold transfer can go to a person, a call queue, an IVR menu, a team, a role, a voicemail box or an outside number. It does not come back to you; if nobody answers, the destination’s own fallback runs. Use it when the destination is obvious.
Three-way calling is the third option: instead of handing over, merge your colleague into the caller’s call. From there you can drop your own line and leave the other two talking, or end the call for everyone. One extra party is allowed per call, and if a call can’t be merged, nothing drops. The call recording stays one file throughout.
Every Kind of Call Transfer, One Call Bar.
Hold the caller, speak privately to your colleague, then hand over.
Send the call straight on. You are out the moment it lands.
Cold or warm transfer to an outside number, not just to colleagues.
Merge into a three-party call and leave without ending it.
Cold transfer to a queue, team, role, IVR menu or voicemail box.
For Teams That Pass Callers Between People.
Adoptiv Transfers vs a Basic Transfer Button.
| What | A basic transfer button | With Adoptiv |
|---|---|---|
| Briefing the next person | A basic transfer button: Not possible; the caller explains again | With Adoptiv: A private warm transfer conversation first |
| Introducing the caller | A basic transfer button: Hang up and hope it connects | With Adoptiv: Merge to three-way, introduce, then leave |
| Outside numbers | A basic transfer button: May be limited to colleagues | With Adoptiv: Cold or warm to any outside number |
| The recording | A basic transfer button: Can split into separate files | With Adoptiv: One file through every handoff |
Transfer & Three-Way Questions, Answered.
What is a warm transfer?
A warm transfer puts the caller on hold while you ring a colleague and speak to them privately first. When they are ready, you hand the call over or merge into a three-way call.
What is a cold transfer?
A cold transfer, also called a blind transfer, sends the call straight on without speaking to the person first. You are out of the call the moment it lands.
Can I transfer a call to an outside number?
Yes. Cold and warm transfers can both go to an external number, as well as to colleagues.
Is the transferred call still recorded?
Yes. The recording carries on through the transfer as one file. Handing a call on never interrupts it or starts a second recording.
Can I leave a three-way call without ending it?
Yes. Drop your own line and the other two keep talking, or end the call for everyone. They are separate buttons.
Warm vs cold transfer: which should I use?
Warm when the next person needs context, such as an escalation or a qualified lead. Cold when the destination is obvious, such as sending a billing question to the billing queue.
Can I warm transfer to a queue or team?
No. Warm transfers go to a colleague’s extension or an outside number. Queues, teams, roles and menus take cold transfers.
How many people can join a three-way call?
One extra party, for three in total. A second merge on the same call is refused rather than queued.
What happens if a cold transfer isn’t answered?
It doesn’t come back to you. The destination’s own fallback runs, such as a queue’s overflow exit.
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