AI agent orchestration

An agentic workflow is a sequence in which an AI system plans its own steps. It calls tools or APIs, checks the results, and adapts its next action. This differs from a fixed decision-tree script that cannot deviate from a preset path. It depends on state, which means tracking what has already happened, defined tool permissions, and often a human approval step before high-risk actions. OnClarity’s AI agents use this pattern for agentic customer service. For a refund request, an agent verifies the order, checks the returns policy, issues the refund after approval, and updates the ticket. If any check fails, it adjusts course.

An AI agent is software that resolves a customer request end to end, taking actions in connected systems rather than only answering questions. Unlike a scripted chatbot, an AI agent can look up an order, issue a refund, or update a record, then confirm the completed outcome back to the customer.

Bot handoff is the transfer of a live conversation from an automated agent to a human, ideally with the full transcript and any collected context attached. A clean handoff prevents the customer from repeating information, which is the most common complaint recorded about automated support experiences.

Human in the loop describes a review step where a person approves or corrects AI output before it reaches the customer. Teams typically apply it to high-risk intents such as refunds, cancellations, and complaints, then relax it selectively as measured accuracy on those intents proves out.

A unified inbox is one workspace where conversations from every channel land, so agents work a single prioritised list instead of switching between tools. It reduces context-switching cost and makes cross-channel history visible at the moment an agent is drafting a reply.