Overview
Tools are things that your Agent Node(s) can use at any time to perform actions outside of CloseBot. Appointment booking, updating contact fields and custom tools are some examples.
Node-Specific Tools
It's helpful to be able to restrict AI's access to tools at different stages. In CloseBot, we do this with node-specific tools. This helps...
Improve AI's reliability in using tools appropriately
Reduce cost
Gate access to tools you don't want the AI to be able to accidentally use before you're ready (ex. unqualified leads should not be allowed to book appointments).
Here you can see that the first node has the ability to add a SmartFAQ, Check for Appointment Availability, Update Contacts and Update Tags. These actions would be accessible while qualifying the contact.
Once they are qualified, the second agent action has the ability to Book Appointments, Check for Appointment Availability, Cancel/Reschedule an Appointment and Update Contacts.
Built In vs. Custom Tools
There are 2 types of built in tools, then custom tools (which you can create yourself on paid CloseBot plans).
Source-Specific Tools → If you're connected to HubSpot or HighLevel, we have ready-made tools created for you (ex. check availability, book appointment, update contact)
General Tools → We also have our own native tools that we provide to power your agent nodes (ex. check distance between locations, get property details, send property image)
Custom Tools → CloseBot allows you to build your own custom tools to tie in to 3rd party platforms. The only limiter here is your imagination. Learn more about creating custom tools HERE.
Tool Mentioning - @@
You can give details within an agent node on how you would like that agent node to perform its job, in addition to your instructions within the general job flow settings.
You may have specific information on how you would like the agent to use a tool. In this case you can mention any tool within the agent node prompting, explaining how and when you would like the agent to use the tool. You can mention any tool that's enabled (global + node-specific) for this agent node.
Mentioning a tool within the agent node prompting is not required, but can be useful in optimizing when and how tools are used.
These tools are powerful. For example, the Check Appointment Availability Tool has the ability to check for availability across all calendars it sees. You can instruct it to only check certain calendars within the instruction like this.
Summary
Tools give your agent node permissions to do things. With no tools enabled, your agent nodes simply chat. With tools enabled, your agents get superpowers 🦸. Limit tools wisely to conserve cost and protect against agents using tools they aren't supposed to use at certain points in conversation.