Actions Overview

Enable your agent to take real actions during conversations, from scheduling to payments

Actions#

Actions let your agent do more than just answer questions. During a conversation, your agent can schedule appointments, look up data, send emails, process payments, and more.

How Actions Work#

When a customer asks your agent to do something, the action flow is:

  1. Intent Detection -- The AI recognizes the customer wants to take an action (e.g., "Can I book an appointment for Thursday?")
  2. Information Gathering -- The agent collects any missing details by asking follow-up questions (e.g., "What time works best for you?")
  3. Confirmation -- The agent confirms the details with the customer before executing (e.g., "I'll book you for Thursday at 2 PM. Should I go ahead?")
  4. Execution -- The action is performed (calendar event created, data logged, email sent, etc.)
  5. Result -- The agent reports the outcome to the customer (e.g., "Done! You'll receive a calendar invite shortly.")

For sensitive actions, the confirmation step is mandatory. The agent will not execute until the customer approves.

Available Actions#

AlonChat includes 30+ built-in actions across seven categories.

Google Calendar (7 actions)#

Requires a Google Calendar connection.

ActionDescription
Check AvailabilityFind open time slots on a connected calendar
Create EventBook a new appointment or meeting
List EventsShow upcoming events and schedule
Update EventReschedule or modify an existing appointment
Cancel EventRemove a booking from the calendar
WaitlistAdd a customer to a waitlist when no slots are available
List ServicesShow available services with their durations

Google Calendar actions guide

Google Sheets (2 actions)#

Requires a Google Sheets connection.

ActionDescription
Log DataAppend a new row to a configured write tab (e.g., log an inquiry or booking)
Lookup DataSearch configured lookup tabs by column values (e.g., find a product price or check order status)

Google Drive (5 actions)#

Requires a Google Drive connection.

ActionDescription
Search FilesFind files by name or content keywords within the allowed Drive scope
Search FolderFind a customer folder by name, booking ID, or reference
List FolderBrowse files and folders inside a specific Drive folder
Share File LinkReturn the existing Google Drive link for a file
Share Folder LinkReturn the existing Google Drive link for a folder

Email (3 actions)#

Requires the email integration (Gmail OAuth).

ActionDescription
Send EmailSend a new email on behalf of the business
Reply to EmailReply within an existing email thread
Read EmailRetrieve and summarize recent email content

These actions work across channels. For example, a customer chatting via WhatsApp can ask the agent to email them a quote, and the agent will send it from your connected Gmail.

Payment (2 actions)#

ActionDescription
Verify PaymentReview a customer-submitted payment screenshot or receipt
Show Payment InstructionsDisplay payment details such as bank account, e-wallet, or QR code

Lead Collection (1 action)#

ActionDescription
Collect LeadCapture customer contact information (name, email, phone, and custom fields) during a conversation

Leads are saved to your Contacts and trigger the leads.submit webhook event.

Lead capture guide

Web Search (1 action)#

ActionDescription
Web SearchSearch the web for real-time information to answer questions outside the knowledge base

Setting Up Actions#

Enabling Built-in Actions#

  1. Go to your agent dashboard
  2. Navigate to Actions
  3. Connect the required services in Settings > Connections when needed
  4. Toggle on the actions you want to enable
  5. Configure any action-specific settings (e.g., calendar availability hours)

Action Permissions#

You control which actions are enabled for each agent:

  • Each action can be independently toggled on or off
  • Actions only work within the scope you define (e.g., only specific calendars, the configured spreadsheet tabs, or the allowed Drive folder)
  • Sensitive actions require customer confirmation before execution
  • All action executions are logged

Action Limits by Plan#

The number of action executions depends on your plan tier. Each action execution consumes credits. Check Billing for your current limits.

Custom Actions#

Build your own actions using webhooks to connect your agent to any external system.

How custom actions work:

  1. You define an action (name, description, parameters)
  2. Your agent learns when to use it based on the description
  3. When triggered, the agent calls your webhook endpoint with the collected parameters
  4. Your system processes the request and returns a result
  5. The agent uses the result in its response to the customer

Custom actions guide

Security#

Confirmation Model#

  • For actions that modify data (create, update, delete), the agent confirms with the customer before executing
  • Read-only actions (check availability, lookup data) can execute without explicit confirmation

Action Logging#

  • Every action execution is logged with timestamp, parameters, and result
  • View action history in your dashboard

Connection Scoping#

  • Actions only access the specific resources you have connected (e.g., a specific calendar, a specific spreadsheet)
  • Connections use OAuth with minimal required permissions
  • You can revoke any connection at any time

Use Cases#

Customer Support#

  • Book support calls via Google Calendar
  • Look up order status via Google Sheets
  • Send follow-up emails after conversations
  • Search documentation via Google Drive

Sales#

  • Schedule demos and consultations
  • Collect lead information during conversations
  • Send pricing quotes via email
  • Share payment instructions with interested customers

Operations#

  • Log customer inquiries to spreadsheets
  • Share documents with customers
  • Verify payment receipts and keep payment conversations organized
  • Search the web for product information

Next Steps#