Overview
Imagine having a team of smart, tireless assistants ready to tackle tasks for you. That's essentially what Agents are in our system! They're designed to help you automate complex workflows, respond to events, and get things done more efficiently.
This document provides a simple explanation of how these automated assistants work.
What are Agents?
At its heart, an Agent is a specialized, intelligent program that you can set up to achieve a specific goal. You tell it what you want to accomplish (e.g., "Find me new sales leads," or "Respond to customer inquiries"), and the Agent figures out how to do it. It's not just following a rigid script; it can make decisions and adapt as it works towards your objective.
What are Tools?
To achieve their goals, Agents need capabilities. These capabilities are called Tools. Think of Tools as the different skills or functions your Agent possesses.
Just like a human assistant might use a phone, email, or a spreadsheet, your Agents use digital Tools to interact with other systems and information. Examples of Tools could be:
- Sending Emails: A tool that lets the Agent compose and send messages.
- Searching the Web: A tool to find up-to-date information online.
- Updating a Database: A tool to read or write information in your records.
- Connecting to other Apps: Tools that allow the Agent to interact with services like your CRM, project management software, or accounting system.
We provide some default tools that are commonly useful, and you can also create your own custom tools to fit your unique needs. Our system can even help you build these custom tools by understanding what you want them to do!
How Agents Use Tools: Integrations & Permissions
For an Agent to actually use a Tool that connects to an external service (like your email or a specific app), it needs two things:
- Integrations: These are the secure connections that link our system to your other online services. When you set up an integration, you're essentially giving the Agent a secure "key" or "login" to access that service on your behalf. This ensures the Agent can operate without you needing to manually log in every time, and all credentials are kept safe.
- Permissions: Just like you wouldn't give every employee access to every part of your business, Agents operate under strict permissions. You decide exactly which Tools an Agent can use and what actions it's allowed to perform. This keeps your data secure and ensures the Agent only does what you've authorized.
What are Hooks?
Hooks are like intelligent triggers or "listeners." They are specific events or conditions that, when met, can automatically kick off an Agent's work. Instead of manually telling an Agent to start, a Hook can detect when it's time for the Agent to act.
Examples of Hooks could be:
- A new email arrives: An Agent might be "hooked" to this event to process incoming inquiries.
- Data changes in a spreadsheet: A Hook could tell an Agent to generate a report based on the updated information.
- A scheduled time: An Agent could be "hooked" to run every morning to send a daily summary.
Hooks make your Agents proactive, allowing them to respond instantly to changes or to perform tasks at regular intervals, without constant human oversight.
In short, Agents are your smart digital assistants. They use various Tools to perform actions, connect to other services through secure Integrations under specific Permissions, and are activated by Hooks when certain events occur. This powerful combination allows you to automate a wide range of tasks and streamline your operations.