Tools, notifications and automatic tags

Who this is for: whoever manages the account.

What it is for

Besides chatting, an agent can run actions. That turns a chatbot into an assistant that operates. They are set up in the Tools step.

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Tip:Describe each tool well: the agent decides when to use it by reading your description. "Gets the status of an order from the order number" works better than "gets orders".

Calling your API (external API)

The agent queries one of your systems (stock, prices, order status, a service record). You configure:

Name and description of the function.
URL and method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
Headers (for example your API key). They are stored encrypted.
Parameters that are sent.

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Step:Fill in the tool with its parameters.

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Step:Click Test tool and enter test values to see the real response from your API.

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Step:Save only when the test returns what you expect.

System actions

Action	What it does
Escalate to a person	Moves the conversation to the human team
Tag	Applies a tag to the conversation
Close the conversation	Closes it with a summary
Webhook	Notifies an external system
Notify a user or department	Notifies the team inside TalkAI and the agent keeps answering
Notify the owner outside TalkAI	Notifies a person through an external channel
Consult another agent (`consult_agent`)	Asks a transactional agent something without handing over the conversation
Send a template (`send_template`)	Sends a WhatsApp template without variables, for example a button menu
Read attachments (`read_attachment`)	Reads PDF, Word, Excel, CSV, text and photos of documents
Edit images and PDFs (`edit_media`)	Redacts, crops, retouches, rotates or converts. See Attachments
Verify receipts with AFIP	Verifies invoices (Argentina only). See AFIP validation
Calendar	Offer slots, book, list, reschedule and cancel appointments. See Calendar

If `send_template` sends nothing

The tool rejects the template, and the agent seems silent, in three typical cases:

The template name or language does not match exactly (watch out for accents).
The template has a media header that could not be resolved.
The template has variables: this tool only sends templates without variables.

Agent editor with the switches to transfer to and consult other agents.

Automatic triggers

Some actions can fire on their own on an event, without the agent deciding: on start, on close, on transfer to another AI agent or on escalation to a person.

Arguments accept variables that are replaced with real data: {{customerName}}, {{customerPhone}}, {{conversationId}}, {{lastUserMessage}}, {{summary}}.

Automatic notifications

In the General step you can make the agent notify your team on each event (start, close, escalation, transfer). For each one you choose whether to notify, which department or user, and a summary with variables.

Automatic tags

In the same way, the agent can tag the conversation depending on the event. For each one you choose the tag.

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Tip:Combine automatic tags with inbox filters to measure: for example, "Resolved by AI" on close or "Needs human" on escalation.

Common mistakes

Saving a tool without testing it.
Generic descriptions: the agent does not know when to use it.
Expecting send_template to fill in variables.