AI Actions allow your AI Messaging Agent to take automated actions during inbound customer messages on SMS and WhatsApp by connecting to third-party tools like Shopify, HubSpot, and Zendesk. Once enabled on an integration and assigned to an agent, the agent can autonomously look up or update data in those tools without human intervention.
This article explains what AI Actions are, which actions are available per integration, and how to configure them in two steps: enabling capabilities at the integration level and assigning them to individual agents.
IMPORTANT: AI Actions with AI Messaging Agents are currently only available for Shopify, HubSpot, and Zendesk integrations.
What are AI Actions?
AI Actions are integration-powered capabilities that your AI Messaging Agent can invoke during a conversation based on the customer's intent. Examples include looking up an order status, retrieving a contact record, booking a meeting, or opening a support ticket, all without transferring the conversation or involving an agent.
Typical examples:
- Looking up an order status from a Shopify store, then telling the customer when it will arrive.
- Identifying a returning customer by phone number and pulling their HubSpot contact record.
- Creating a Zendesk ticket on behalf of the customer.
- Checking calendar availability and booking a meeting in HubSpot for a follow-up conversation.
- Listing the customer’s open Zendesk tickets so the agent can pick the right one to discuss.
Each capability must be enabled in two places before it works: first at the integration level, then on the specific AI Messaging Agent you want to use it.
Available capabilities by integration
Shopify
| Capability | What it does |
|---|---|
| Get Order | Retrieves order details (status, items, shipping, tracking) using an order number and the customer's phone number or email |
HubSpot
| Capability | What it does |
|---|---|
| Get Contact | Looks up a contact by phone number, email, or contact ID |
| Get Company | Looks up a company by phone number, email, domain, or company ID |
| Create Contact | Creates a new contact record |
| Update Contact | Updates an existing contact's details |
| Update Company | Updates an existing company's details |
| Create Company | Creates a new company record |
| Meeting Availability (Coming soon) | Fetches available meeting slots for a given calendar |
| Book Meeting (Coming soon) | Books a meeting on behalf of the customer |
NOTE: For integrations that require OAuth authentication, such as HubSpot, a banner will appear prompting you to reconnect before capabilities can be enabled. The capabilities sync toggle activates only once the OAuth connection is established.
Zendesk
| Capability | What it does |
|---|---|
| Search Contact | Looks up a Zendesk user by phone number or email |
| Create Ticket | Creates a new support ticket |
| List Open Tickets | Retrieves all open tickets for a given user |
| Resolve Ticket | Marks a ticket as solved |
Step 1: Enable capabilities on an integration
AI Actions follow a two-step model. First you enable the AI Action at the integration level - this makes it eligible to be used. Then you add it to one or more AI Messaging Agents - this is what actually lets an agent reach for it on a conversation. Both steps are required.
Steps:
- Go to Aircall Dashboard > Integrations & API
- Open the connected integration you want to configure, for example Shopify, HubSpot, or Zendesk
- Navigate to the AI agent capabilities section within the integration settings
- Toggle on the capabilities you want to make available. Examples by integration:
- Shopify: Order status updates
- HubSpot: Enable Scheduling, Enable Contact details, Enable Company information, Ticket management
- Zendesk: Enable Contact details, Ticket management
IMPORTANT: All capabilities are off by default. They must be explicitly enabled per integration before they become available to assign to an agent.
NOTE: If you have multiple installations of the same integration (for example, two Shopify stores), each installation has its own AI Actions settings. Enabling an action on one installation does not affect the others.
Step 2: Assign capabilities to an AI Messaging Agent
Once capabilities are enabled on an integration, you assign them to the specific agents that should use them.
Steps:
- Go to Aircall Dashboard > AI Agents > AI Messaging Agents
- Open the agent you want to configure
- In the agent settings, click AI actions.
- Click + Add action to open the side panel.
- Open the Action dropdown and pick the action you want to add. The dropdown groups actions by integration. Each option shows a short description of what the action does.
- Review the data contract that appears below: Preset instructions (what the action does), Intake information (the details the agent will collect from the customer, with required fields starred), and Information available to use (the data the agent can reference once the action returns).
- Optionally, write rules in Additional instructions to control how the agent handles this specific action (covered in the next section).
- Click Save action at the bottom of the side panel.
TIP: If the action you want is missing from the dropdown, the toggle on the integration is probably off. Go back to Step 1 and enable it.
During a live conversation, the agent decides whether and when to use each enabled AI Action based on the customer’s intent and, if specified, the rules you have written. Those rules are the subject of the next section.
Shaping how the agent uses AI Actions
Assigning an AI Action enables it, but defining rules improves accuracy and consistency. You can guide behavior in two places.
Option 1: Additional instructions (on a specific AI Action)
Additional instructions live inside the action panel itself. They apply only when that one action is being used, on this one agent. This is the right place for rules that are tightly scoped to a single action, how to gather inputs, which output fields the agent should focus on, what to confirm before executing.
Use Additional instructions when you want to:
- Tell the agent to collect a parameter silently, e.g. reuse the phone number from the conversation instead of asking for it again.
- Add a parameter that should always be applied, e.g. a default pipeline or status.
- Restrict which output fields the agent should reference in the response.
- Tighten verification for a higher-stakes action, e.g. require both email and phone before sharing detail.
Example: • Always ask for order name and use the phone number from the conversation • Only ask for phone number or email if no match was found
Option 2: Conversation Guidelines (across all actions on the agent)
Conversation guidelines for these actions live below the Actions in use list and apply across every AI Action on this agent. The box only appears once you have added at least one action. This is the right place for the business logic of the conversation - when each action should be triggered, how multiple actions chain together, and how to react to specific data the action returns.
Use Conversation guidelines when you want to:
- Define the trigger phrases that should make the agent reach for a specific action.
- Sequence multiple actions on the same conversation (e.g. identify the customer with Get Contact, then look up their open tickets using the userid with List Open Tickets).
- Branch on a specific return value (e.g. "If financial_status is PENDING, …").
- Describe a fallback path or transfer condition.
- Coordinate AI Actions with other conversation-handling rules.
- Reference an action in the rules by surrounding its name with single quotes, e.g. ‘Get Order Details’ or ‘Search Contact’.
Example: Conversation guidelines on an agent with Get Order Details added: When the customer asks about shipping updates, package status, order details or similar: 1. Use ‘Get Order Details’ 2. When you find an order read back the details of the order 3. If Payment Status is Pending, tell the customer that payments can take 3 to 5 business days (or longer) to clear depending on the provider. 4. If the Payment Status is Partially Paid, transfer the conversation to a human.
Conversation guidelines auto-save as you type. There is no separate save button.
Choosing the right option
Both options accept the same plain-English style. Treat each line as a rule for the agent. Be specific about the trigger, the data, and the desired response. Avoid contradictions - if two rules disagree, the agent will pick one and ignore the other.
| Additional instructions | Conversation guidelines for these actions |
|---|---|
| Scope: a single AI Action on this agent. | Scope: every AI Action on this agent. |
| Lives inside the action panel. | Lives below the Actions in use list. Only appears once you have added at least one action. |
| Best for input handling, parameter defaults, output focus, and per-action verification. | Best for triggers, sequencing several actions, branching on return values, and fallback paths. |
| Edited per action; you can have different rules for the same action on different agents. | Edited once per agent and applies to every conversation. |
IMPORTANT:
Pick one place per rule. Putting the same rule in both Additional instructions and Conversation guidelines does not make it stronger, it makes the agent harder to debug when behaviour drifts.
Testing your AI Actions
Test your setup in two stages before going live.
1. Test the action
The Testing tab on each integration page includes a Playground where you can pick an action, fill in parameters, and click Execute. No agent, no minutes consumed. Use it to confirm the connection works and the response contains the fields your rules reference.
Use the Testing tab in the integration:
- Open the MCP Playground
- Select an action
- Enter parameters
- Click Execute
This verifies connectivity and response structure.
2. Test the agent
Use Test message in agent settings:
- Validate real conversation behavior
- Test different scenarios such as success, alternative outcomes, and failures
- Confirm multi-action sequences
NOTE:
Test message consume AI Messaging Agent minutes and may create real records. Use test environments or dummy data when possible.
Common issues include:
- Conflicting rules
- Poorly defined triggers
- Incorrect field references
Billing
AI Actions are included at no additional cost. Capability invocations count against the AI Messaging Agent minutes already included in your plan. There is no separate billing line and no per-invocation charge.
If your AI Messaging Agent minutes are exhausted, the agent will no longer handle conversations and will not be able to invoke capabilities until minutes are replenished.
FAQs
Do I need to configure capabilities separately for each AI Messaging Agent?
Yes. Capabilities must be enabled at the integration level first, then assigned individually to each agent that should use them. Enabling a capability on an integration does not automatically assign it to any agent.
Can I enable capabilities for some agents but not others?
Yes. Each agent has its own AI Actions section. You can assign different combinations of capabilities to different agents depending on their purpose.
Can the same AI Action behave differently on different agents?
Yes. Both Additional instructions and Conversation guidelines are stored per agent. The same AI Action can have different rules on different agents, and editing them on one agent does not affect any other agent.
Are AI Actions available on all Aircall plans?
AI Actions are included within your existing AI Messaging Agent minutes. No additional SKU or add-on is required. Confirm with your account manager if you are unsure whether AI Messaging Agent minutes are included in your plan.
Should I write my rules in Additional instructions or Conversation guidelines?
Additional instructions are best when the rule is scoped to a single AI Action, how it gathers input, which output fields the agent should focus on, what to confirm before invoking. Conversation guidelines are best when the rule is about when to use an action, what to say once data comes back, sequencing multiple actions, or coordinating with transfer rules. The comparison table above lays out the trade-offs.
What is the difference between enabling a capability on an integration and assigning it to an agent?
Enabling a capability on an integration makes it available in the system. Assigning it to an agent allows that specific agent to use the capability during conversations. Both steps are required.
Where can I see the Conversation guidelines box?
Below the Actions in use list on the AI actions tab of the agent. The box only appears once you have added at least one AI Action to the agent.