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

# AI Phone Support

> Route phone conversations from OpenCX into the Zendesk Agent Workspace with full transcript and handoff context.

Phone conversations route through <Tooltip tip="Zendesk's real-time messaging layer. Conversations surface in the Agent Workspace as live chats rather than tickets.">Sunshine Conversations</Tooltip>. When the AI phone agent hands off a call, your rep picks it up as a conversation inside the Zendesk <Tooltip tip="Zendesk's unified UI where agents handle tickets and live messaging side by side.">Agent Workspace</Tooltip> — with the full transcript attached and a clear handoff reason.

## Pre-requisites

<Warning>
  **Create your AI Phone agent first.** No calls can hand off until the agent exists and a number is bound to it — start with [Create Phone Agent](/phone/create-agent) and come back here.
</Warning>

* **AI Phone agent created and reachable on a number** — see [Create Phone Agent](/phone/create-agent) and [Inbound calls](/phone/inbound-calls).
* **Zendesk Sunshine credentials saved** — see [Sunshine Conversations](/integrations/zendesk/sunshine-conversations).

## How conversations land in Zendesk

```mermaid theme={"dark"}
flowchart LR
  A[Caller dials your number] --> B[AI voice agent answers]
  B --> C{AI can resolve?}
  C -- Yes --> D[Call ends]
  C -- No --> E[Handoff — live transfer or logged escalation]
  E --> F[Conversation + transcript in Agent Workspace]
  F --> G[Rep follows up on the preferred channel]
```

## Setting up

<Steps>
  <Step title="Confirm the phone agent is live">
    Open [**Channels → Phone**](https://platform.open.cx/channels/phone) in the OpenCX dashboard. Your AI Phone agent should appear with an active number. Test a call to confirm the agent answers.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm Sunshine is connected">
    In [**Settings → Integrations**](https://platform.open.cx/settings/integrations), open **Zendesk → Messaging**. The status should show **Active**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Trigger a test handoff">
    Call the agent's number and say something like *"I need to speak with a person."* The AI should hand off.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify in the Zendesk Agent Workspace">
    The conversation should appear with the **full call transcript** attached. Confirm it's tagged `opencx_channel_phone` and that the handoff reason summary is visible.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What the rep sees

* A **conversation in the Agent Workspace** tagged `opencx_channel_phone`.
* The **full call transcript** (AI and caller, with timestamps) attached as messages on the conversation.
* `opencx_session_id` on the conversation <Tooltip tip="Key-value pairs OpenCX attaches to every Sunshine conversation. Reachable via the Conversations API for debugging and analytics.">`metadata`</Tooltip> — the trace key to the recording and full debug view in OpenCX.
* The handoff reason (what the caller asked for, what the AI couldn't resolve) in the conversation summary.

## Channel-specific details

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Transcript timing" icon="clock">
    The transcript is attached at handoff time, not live during the call. Reps see the conversation appear within a few seconds of the transfer or escalation flag.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Live transfer vs logged escalation" icon="arrow-right-arrow-left">
    Two handoff modes:

    * **Live transfer** — the AI bridges the caller to a configured phone number. The caller stays on the line. A Zendesk conversation still gets created with the transcript so your rep has context.
    * **Logged escalation** — the AI ends the call and creates the Zendesk conversation for a rep to follow up on a channel the caller prefers (email, SMS, callback).

    Configure the handoff phone number per agent at [**Channels → Phone**](https://platform.open.cx/channels/phone) → select the agent → **Agent Configuration**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Caller identity" icon="id-card">
    When the caller is already a known OpenCX contact (matched by phone number), OpenCX merges with the existing Zendesk support user. Unknown callers get a Sunshine contact created with just the phone number until they identify further.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Recordings and OpenCX-side debug" icon="volume-high">
    Audio recordings and per-turn AI reasoning live on the OpenCX side. The **View session in OpenCX** link in the conversation summary opens the full playback, reasoning trace, and any tool calls the AI made during the call.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Related Documentation

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="AI Phone Support" icon="phone" href="/phone/introduction">
    The channel itself — create the agent, configure, inbound and outbound.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sunshine Conversations setup" icon="plug" href="/integrations/zendesk/sunshine-conversations">
    Credentials, webhook, and user merge.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Zendesk overview" icon="headset" href="/integrations/zendesk/overview">
    What else Zendesk lights up across every channel.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="wrench" href="/integrations/zendesk/troubleshooting">
    Transcript missing, handoff reason unclear.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>