Tools overview
What a tool is, the three kinds you can add, and how an agent decides to use one during a call.
What you will achieve
You will understand what tools do and which kind to use.
What a tool is
A tool lets an agent do something beyond talking while the caller is on the line: look up an order, check a booking, save a lead, send a message. You describe the tool in words, and the agent's model decides when to use it, fills in the details from the conversation, and speaks the result.
The three kinds
| Kind | What it is | Create it from |
|---|---|---|
| API tool | A call to one of your own web endpoints | Tools page, Add tool |
| Connected-app tool | One action of an app you connected, such as "Create calendar event" in Google Calendar | An agent's Tools tab, Add tool, Integration |
| Built-in | End call, transfer, keypad, IVR navigation | An agent's Tools tab, Built-in list |
Built-ins are covered in Call features.
How an agent uses a tool
- During the conversation the model decides a tool is needed, based on the tool's Description and the agent's instructions.
- It supplies the parameters (for example an order number the caller just said).
- Phynxa checks them against the tool's definition, sends the request, and gives the answer back to the model.
- The agent says something based on the answer.
Tools that fail never leave the caller in silence: the agent is told what went wrong and says so.
Where tools live
- Tools in the sidebar lists every API tool, with its endpoint, status, requests, success rate and when it was last used.
- Each agent has its own Tools tab, Your tools section, which lists the tools attached to it. A tool can be attached to several agents.
Note. Only tools attached to an agent can be used by it. Creating a tool does nothing for any agent until you add it to one.
Speed matters
The caller waits in silence while a tool runs, so keep tools fast. The tool's Test shows how long it took and warns over 300 ms. A tool can also run in the background, so the agent keeps talking while it works.
Related guides
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