Tools
Tools let your agent do more than talk: look something up, book something, or pass the conversation on.
A tool is an action the agent can take. Tools live on the Tools page, separate from any agent, so one tool can be added to many steps and many agents. Add a tool to a step under Tools & documents, and the agent can use it on that step whenever it decides it should.
Kinds of tool
| Kind | What it does |
|---|---|
| Use a connected app | Runs one action in an app you have connected, such as booking in Calendly, sending a Gmail or updating a HubSpot contact |
| Call your own API | Connects to a system of your own. You set the address and the details the agent fills in |
| Hand off to a person | Transfers the contact to a phone number when they ask for a human |
| Hand off to another workflow | Passes the call to another of your agents on the same line. Nothing is dialled |
Use a connected app needs an app connected first. See Integrations.
The agent reads each tool's name and description to decide when to use it, so write them for that: Check which appointment slots are free on a given day beats Calendar tool.
Whether a transfer works depends on the carrier behind the number. If a number or campaign this agent uses is on a carrier that can't transfer, the builder shows a warning.
Ending a call isn't a tool. Use an End step, or let the agent hang up on its own. See Steps.
When a tool runs
- On a step, the agent uses it during the conversation while the person waits. Use this for anything the agent needs before its next sentence.
- In a contact lookup on the Start step, it runs before the call is picked up. See Steps.
- In an After-call action step, it runs once after the conversation ends, with retries. Use this for work nobody needs to wait for, such as writing the outcome to a CRM.
When a tool fails
A tool that fails doesn't end the conversation. The agent finds out it failed and decides what to say: try again, apologise, or take another route. Write the step's prompt so the agent has somewhere to go when a lookup comes back empty.
Two things keep you safe from repeats:
- If a failure looks temporary, the tool tries once more after a short pause. If your system turns the request down, it isn't tried again.
- Within one conversation, the same change with the same details only happens once, however many times the agent asks. Lookups aren't held back this way.
Next
Connect an app before building a tool on it, add the tool to the right step, and tell the agent when to use it in your prompts.
Common questions
What is a tool?
An action the agent can take during a conversation, such as looking something up, booking in a calendar or handing the call to a person. Tools live on the Tools page and can be added to many steps.
What kinds of tool are there?
Use a connected app, connect to a system of your own, hand off to a person, or hand off to another of your agents.
What happens if a tool fails?
The conversation carries on. The agent finds out it failed and decides what to say, so write the step's prompt with somewhere to go when a lookup comes back empty.
Is ending a call a tool?
No. Use an End step, or let the agent hang up on its own.