Documentation

Tools & Integrations

Give your AI agent the ability to take real actions like sending emails, booking appointments, and collecting payments.

What Are Tools?

Think of tools as your agent's superpowers. Without tools, your agent can only chat and answer questions. With tools, your agent can send emails, book appointments, collect payments, update databases, and notify your team.

PlaybooksTools
Conversation scriptsReal-world actions
Tell the agent what to sayTell the agent what to do
"I'll book that for you!"Actually adds the event to your calendar

SMS Notifications

Send text messages to customers automatically for appointment reminders, order confirmations, follow-ups, and promotional offers.

How to configure:

  1. Go to Tools in the left sidebar
  2. Click "SMS Notifications"
  3. Enter your phone number and click "Connect"
  4. Verify your phone number by entering the code sent to you

Example - Appointment Reminder:

"Hi [Name], this is a reminder about your appointment at [Business] tomorrow at [Time]. Reply CANCEL to reschedule."

Email Sending

Send emails to customers or your team for booking confirmations, receipts, welcome emails, and internal notifications.

How to configure:

  1. Go to Tools in the left sidebar
  2. Click "Email"
  3. Connect your email provider (Gmail, Outlook, or custom SMTP)
  4. Authorize AscenAI to send emails on your behalf
  5. Set up email templates or use the default ones

Calendar Booking

Connect your calendar so your agent can check availability and book appointments. Supports Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook Calendar, and Apple Calendar.

Settings you can customize:

  • ●Working hours - When appointments can be booked
  • ●Buffer time - Gap between appointments (e.g., 15 minutes)
  • ●Advance notice - How far in advance customers can book
  • ●Maximum bookings per day - Limit daily appointments

Payment Collection

Let your agent collect payments directly in the conversation. Supported providers: Stripe, Square, PayPal, and Twilio Pay.

Setting Up Stripe:

  1. Go to Tools > Payments
  2. Click "Connect Stripe"
  3. Sign in to your Stripe account and authorize the connection
  4. You'll be redirected back to AscenAI

Use cases:

  • ●Collect deposits for appointments
  • ●Process orders over chat
  • ●Collect overdue invoices

Webhook Calls

Webhooks let your agent send information to other apps and services you use. Think of a webhook as a messenger that delivers information from your agent to another app.

How to configure:

  1. Go to Tools > Webhooks
  2. Click "Add Webhook"
  3. Enter the webhook URL provided by the app you're connecting to
  4. Choose what information to send and when to send it
  5. Click "Save"

Use cases:

  • ●Send new leads to your CRM
  • ●Create support tickets
  • ●Notify your team on Slack or Microsoft Teams

Custom API Integrations

For businesses that use custom software, you can connect your agent to any system with an API.

How to configure:

  1. Go to Tools > Custom API
  2. Enter your API endpoint URL
  3. Choose the request method (GET or POST)
  4. Set up the data format
  5. Test the connection and click "Save"

Note: Custom API integrations require some technical knowledge. If you're not comfortable setting this up, ask your developer or contact our support team.

Best Practices

1. Start Simple

Connect one tool at a time. Start with the most important one for your business.

2. Test Every Tool

Book a test appointment, send a test email, process a small test payment.

3. Monitor Tool Usage

Check your dashboard regularly to see how many emails, appointments, and payments your agent has processed.

4. Keep Credentials Secure

Never share your API keys. If a team member leaves, review and rotate credentials.

Troubleshooting

Calendar Not Showing Availability

  • Check that your working hours are set correctly
  • Make sure your calendar is connected and authorized
  • Verify that there are no conflicting events

Emails Not Sending

  • Check that your email provider is connected
  • Verify the recipient email address is correct
  • Check your email provider's sending limits

Payments Failing

  • Check that your payment provider account is active
  • Verify your bank account is linked correctly
  • Review the payment provider's dashboard for errors

Webhooks Not Triggering

  • Verify the webhook URL is correct
  • Check that the receiving service is online
  • Review the webhook logs for error messages

Ready to Connect Tools?

Create conversation flows that use your tools with Playbooks, or set up voice channels.

Playbooks GuideVoice Setup