Glossary
What is a cold transfer?
The fast transfer: the call moves on, the person who answered drops out, and the next person starts from scratch.
The short answer
What is a cold transfer?
A cold transfer, also called a blind transfer, passes a call to another person or number without speaking to them first. The person who answered sends the call on and drops out, and the receiver picks up with no introduction, often asking the caller to explain again. It is quick and simple, and it works well when the caller only needs to reach the right department or person. The alternative is a warm transfer.
How it works
The person or system on the call presses transfer, enters the destination and hangs up. The phone system rings the destination. If nobody answers, what happens next depends on that line's settings: its voicemail, another ring group, or the call simply ends. The person who transferred the call usually never finds out.
Example
A caller to a car repair shop asks for the parts department. The receptionist transfers the call to the parts extension and picks up the next line. The parts desk is busy, so the caller reaches its voicemail, hangs up and calls another shop.
Cold transfer with an AI receptionist
In Daber AI, a cold transfer moves the call to a number you set and the agent drops out. Because the call is handed to the phone carrier, no extension can be dialed after it. To reach an extension, use a bridged transfer instead: the agent dials out itself, waits for an answer, dials the extension, and only then leaves the call with the two people talking. Either way, what the caller told the agent is in the call's transcript and summary.
Questions
Is a cold transfer the same as a blind transfer?
Yes. Both mean the call is transferred without the person handing it off speaking to the receiver first. Some phone systems label the button "blind transfer".
When is a cold transfer the right choice?
When the caller already said where they want to go and the receiver needs no background: a department, a known extension, a direct line. If the caller has just explained a problem, a warm transfer saves them from repeating it.
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