Rules-based workflow
Best when the input and next step are predictable: when status A occurs, create task B and notify its owner.
Custom AI agents
Give a custom agent one defined job and clear limits.
A custom business agent can interpret changing information, use permitted tools, prepare a result, and send uncertain or sensitive cases to a person. The job, inputs, permissions, and review rules are agreed before it acts.
Illustrative job: review a changing inbox
This is a demonstration of how an agent could be scoped, not a delivered customer result.
- Variable inputs
- New messages, approved account records, open tasks, and the team’s current response policy.
- Permitted actions
- Classify the request, find the related record, prepare a reply, and create a review task.
- Human review
- A service owner approves replies involving prices, complaints, commitments, or incomplete records. The agent does not send those replies on its own.
- Exception path
- Unknown customers, conflicting records, missing context, and requests outside policy go to the service owner with the source message attached.
Sample output for review
The useful output is concise and traceable to its source. A reviewer can correct it before anything reaches the customer.
Review task: account question
Request: customer asks whether an order can arrive Friday.
Record found: order 1048. The available record has no confirmed delivery date.
Prepared reply: “I found your order, but the current record does not confirm a Friday delivery. I have asked the order owner to review it before we give you a date.”
Required action: order owner reviews the record and approves or replaces the reply.
Agent, workflow, or chatbot?
Custom agent
Useful when the input varies and the system must interpret it within a narrow job, permission set, and review policy.
Chatbot
Useful for a person-led conversation. It answers a prompt but does not automatically need access to business tools or actions.
Read the custom business agent guide for the fuller decision comparison and preparation questions.
Questions, answered.
Is a business agent the same as ChatGPT?
No. A general chatbot waits for a question. A business agent has a defined job, approved information, tools, permissions, and rules for when a person must take over.
Does it need access to all of our data?
No. An agent should receive only the information required for its job. Broad access is a risk, not a feature.
Can it send messages automatically?
Only if the business approves that mode for a specific, well-tested workflow. Many agents begin by preparing messages for review.
What happens when it is unsure?
Low-confidence or unusual cases should pause and escalate. Guessing is not an acceptable default.
Can it work with our current software?
Often yes. LI B2B first looks at the tools already in use and connects only what the workflow needs.
Before commissioning the work, review how scope, testing, handover, and support are agreed.
Discuss an agent for your business
Start with one defined job, approved information, and a clear rule for when a person takes over.
Discuss an Agent for Your BusinessBring one process and the systems involved.