What Are Actions and What Can They Do?
Your agent doesn't just answer questions - it can get things done.
Written by Outlearn Documentation
Updated at April 24th, 2026
Table of Contents
A customer asks when their order will arrive. A prospect wants to book a demo. A user needs their account reset. These are not questions that need an answer from a knowledge base. They need something to actually happen.
Actions are what make that possible. They turn your agent from a tool that answers questions into one that resolves problems end to end. Instead of telling a user to go somewhere else, your agent does the thing right there in the conversation - checks the order, books the meeting, sends the confirmation. No tab switching, no waiting, no handoff to a human for something a system could handle.
In this article, you'll learn:
- What Actions are and why they matter
- What kinds of tasks Actions can perform
- What's available out of the box and what you can build yourself
What Is an Action?
An Action is a task your agent can perform during a conversation. Where a knowledge source gives your agent something to say, an Action gives your agent something to do.
For example:
- A user asks "Can I book a demo?" - instead of just linking to a calendar page, your agent checks availability and books the slot directly in the conversation.
- A user asks "What's the status of my order?" - instead of telling them to log in and check, your agent looks up their order in real time and tells them the answer.
- A user wants to be notified by email after a conversation - your agent sends the summary automatically.
Actions run in the background. From the user's perspective, the conversation just flows naturally.
What Can Actions Do?
Actions fall into a few broad categories:
| Category | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | Send messages or notifications through connected platforms - Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Google Chat. | After resolving an issue, automatically send the user a summary email. |
| Calendar & Scheduling | Check availability, create events, and schedule meetings - Google Calendar, Calendly. | Let users book a support call without ever leaving the chat. |
|
CRM & Sales (coming soon) |
Access and update customer records, orders, and subscriptions - Salesforce, Shopify, Stripe. | Look up a customer's subscription status and surface it instantly in the conversation. |
| Web Search | Search the web in real time when your knowledge sources don't have the answer. | A user asks about a recent news event - your agent searches the web and responds with current information. |
| Custom API | Call any external API your business uses - inventory systems, booking platforms, internal tools, anything with an API endpoint. | Look up a customer's account balance from your internal system mid-conversation. |
| MCP Servers | Connect to verified third-party platforms (Intercom, Notion, Figma, Asana, and more) or your own custom MCP server for deeper integrations. | Create a Notion page, update a Linear ticket, or query Supabase - all triggered by a conversation |
Actions Are Optional
You don't need Actions to get started. Your agent can answer questions from its knowledge sources without any Actions configured. Actions become valuable once your agent is live and you identify tasks that would make conversations more useful - like looking up live data or triggering follow-up messages.
Start simple. Add Actions when you have a clear use case for them.
Best Practices
- Don't add Actions just because you can. Each Action should solve a specific problem your users actually have in conversations.
- Think about what your support team does manually after a conversation ends - those are often the best candidates for Actions.
- Always test Actions using the Preview panel before going live to make sure they trigger correctly and return the right results.