A live transfer passes a caller who is still on the line directly to another agent, rather than taking a number for a callback. A warm live transfer means the first agent stays on until the second answers. Live transfers are also a unit of sale: many lead buyers pay per transfer that stays connected long enough.
Live transfers convert far better than callbacks because the caller's interest is at its highest the moment they qualify. Every minute between qualifying and talking to a closer loses some of it.
What a live transfer looks like on a call
A fronter on a final expense campaign qualifies a caller in Georgia: right age range, no disqualifying health condition, interested in coverage. Instead of saying "someone will call you back," the fronter says "I'm connecting you with a licensed agent now, please stay on the line," and sends the call to the closer queue. The caller is talking to a closer within seconds.
Many floors in Pakistan and India sell live transfers to US agencies rather than closing in-house. The agency defines what a qualified transfer is, and the floor is paid for each one that meets it.
How live transfers are counted and billed
A buyer usually counts a transfer as billable only if the caller stays connected to their agent for a minimum duration. That threshold is set in the contract and varies by buyer and vertical, so check it before the campaign starts. Transfers below the threshold are often called short calls and are not paid.
In the dialer, a live transfer is a transfer disposition on the fronter's side and an inbound call on the buyer's side. Reconciling the two counts every day avoids arguments at invoice time.
Common mistakes
Transferring when the buyer's line is full. The caller hears ringing or hold music, hangs up, and the transfer is lost.
Counting transfers on your side and assuming the buyer counts the same way. Agree the billable definition in writing.
Using cold transfers to save fronter time. The closer opens blind, the caller repeats everything, and short calls go up.
Live transfer versus callback
A callback, where the fronter books a time and someone calls the consumer later, is cheaper to run because closers can be scheduled tightly. It also loses a large share of leads, because people stop answering unknown numbers once the moment passes. Live transfers cost more closer time but catch the caller while they are engaged. Most US insurance and legal campaigns that buy offshore fronting want live transfers for that reason.
When the buyer's line is busy, a floor needs a rule: hold the caller for a short time with someone still talking to them, or end the call politely and log a callback disposition. Leaving the caller in silence is the worst option.