# Escalate: default

When a Bot hands over a conversation to an operator or agent, it is called escalation. Escalation needs to be an explicit step in the flow in order for the conversation to reach the Inbox.

The **Escalate: Default** node will hand the conversation over to the inbox while passing on a message.

<figure><img src="/files/f9EqzH31mmJmvCtkTneY" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

In the above example, the \_\_unknown\_\_ dialog [trigger](/studio/flows/triggers.md) will catch any user responses that aren't covered in the Flow. It announces the fact that the message will be forwarded to the team, and then escalates.

<figure><img src="/files/gIPSCdPCmmv3QMy9VOMp" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

| Property     | Description                                   | Explanation                                                                                                                                                                         |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Help message | The message that is presented to the operator | The variable `last_message` contains the message that caused the escalation                                                                                                         |
| To           | The inbox to escalate to.                     | Optional. Only use when more than one inbox is configured, see [inbox tags](https://gitlab.com/botsquad/gitbook-manuals/-/blob/docs/studio/flows/nodes/broken-reference/README.md). |
| Remember     | To also store the variable in the user object | The variable name in the Assign to will be used to store the value in the user object.                                                                                              |

## Continue or wait

This Escalate: default node will not wait for an operator to join, it will simply continue the conversation. That means that, when an Iterate node preceeded this escalation for instance, it will fall back into the prompt of that iterate and reprompt the user for another action.&#x20;

If you want to prevent the bot from continuing, please use an [Escalate: smart](/studio/flows/nodes/escalate-smart.md) node instead.

## Resources

* [Chat flows](/store/skills/chat-flows.md)
* [Triggers](/studio/flows/triggers.md)


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