A chatbot answers a question; an agent carries out a task. It receives a goal and a set of tools it is permitted to use, each described in plain language. The model chooses a tool, reads the result, and decides the next step, repeating until the task is finished or it needs help. Instructions, memory of earlier steps, and permission limits shape what it does.
Agents suit work that follows a goal but varies in detail, where fixed rules fall short: reading an incoming inquiry, looking up the customer, checking availability, and drafting a reply. For a small business that can mean after-hours inquiries are handled and routine research or data entry is done without staff time. Simple, predictable tasks are usually better served by ordinary automation.
Language models can make mistakes and state them confidently, and an agent with tools can act on those mistakes. Give it the narrowest permissions that work, require human approval before it moves money, deletes data, or sends sensitive messages to customers, and log every action. Test with real examples before launch. We build custom agents with defined tools, approval steps, and monitoring.