Guide · Updated
What is an agentic workflow?
An agentic workflow is a business process run by an AI agent that is given a goal rather than a script. Instead of following fixed steps, the agent decides what to do next based on the situation: who to contact, on which channel, what to say, when to follow up, and when to hand over to a person. It works across tools and channels, remembers the customer's history, and keeps going until the goal is met or a person needs to step in. Scripted automation does the same thing every time; an agentic workflow adapts while staying inside the rules the business sets.
Script vs goal
A scripted automation says: when a form is submitted, send message A, wait two days, send message B. It cannot tell that the customer already replied on another channel, asked a question, or said they will order next week.
An agentic workflow starts from the outcome, such as a qualified lead, a placed order or a resolved ticket, and works out the steps towards it for each customer.
What the agent does in a workflow
- Reads the context: the customer's history, the latest message, the account's status
- Decides the next action: reply, ask, follow up, call, wait, or hand over
- Acts across channels: WhatsApp, Instagram, voice and email as one conversation
- Updates the systems of record: CRM, order system, ticketing
- Stops and hands over when a person's judgement is needed
Where people stay in the loop
Agentic does not mean unsupervised. The business sets the goal, the boundaries and the handover rules. People take the conversations that need judgement, review what the agent did, and adjust the rules as results come in.
Where agentic workflows fit first
| Process | Goal the agent works towards |
|---|---|
| Inbound sales | Every lead answered, qualified and handed over |
| Outbound | Researched outreach that starts real conversations |
| Order desk | Orders taken, confirmed and logged in the chat |
| Win-back | Dormant customers reached and reordering |
| Support | Questions resolved on the channel they arrived on |
Frequently asked questions
- Is an agentic workflow the same as a chatbot?
- No. A chatbot answers when spoken to. An agentic workflow pursues a goal, which includes starting conversations, following up and acting in other systems.
- Does an agentic workflow replace the team?
- It takes the repetitive volume. People keep the conversations that need judgement, and the work of deciding what the agent should aim for.
In practice
- 25,619 dormant leads reopened on one workflow · Labour Law Advisor
- 2,540 retailers onboarded without adding a rep · TrueWholesale