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What is an agent?

An agent is an AI-powered assistant that can have conversations with users via voice, chat, or video. Each agent has its own personality (system prompt), voice, and capabilities.

How agents work

When a user talks to an agent, the conversation flows through a real-time engine with sub-second latency:
  1. User speaks → speech is converted to text
  2. The LLM generates a response
  3. The response is converted back to natural speech
  4. Tools run as needed during the conversation

Core components

Agent types

Agents support four communication modes:

Voice

Phone calls via Twilio (inbound and outbound)

WebRTC

Browser-based voice calls with no phone needed

Video

Video avatar calls for face-to-face interactions

Chat

Text-based conversations with streaming responses

Key features

  • First message — A greeting spoken immediately when the call connects (bypasses LLM for lower latency)
  • System prompt — Defines the agent’s personality, instructions, and behavior
  • Variable injection — Use {{variableName}} in prompts to inject contact data dynamically
  • Recording — Optionally record calls
  • Background ambience — Add ambient sounds for a more natural feel
  • Tool integration — Add tools from 13+ integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, etc.) so your agent can take actions during calls
  • Video avatars — Enable video mode and choose from a library of realistic avatars for face-to-face interactions

Next steps

Create an Agent

Step-by-step guide to creating your first agent

Configuration

Configure LLM, TTS, and STT providers