Tech

AI Agents: the future of your business

Brenda Linhares - Partner & CMO @Insight Sales 02/21/2025

5 min de leitura

What are AI Agents?

You know those corporate chatbots that only reply with “Please choose one of the following options” or give you multiple options that don’t actually solve your problem? Forget them. AI agents take things to the next level.

This advanced technology understands context, learns from interactions, and makes smarter decisions to streamline processes and improve your operations.

The key difference between AI Agents and traditional AI assistants is their autonomous decision-making. Unlike virtual assistants, AI Agents can be programmed for specific functions, from answering questions to managing complex workflows, doing tasks, like:

Customer support automation – Instead of just answering FAQs, an AI Agent analyzes past interactions, predicts user needs, and proactively resolves issues before escalation to the team.
Sales Enablement – AI Agents can score leads, personalize follow-ups, and adjust outreach strategies in real time to improve conversion rates in a more economic process.
IT & security management – Instead of just running system checks, AI Agents detect anomalies, block potential threats, and initiate security patches automatically.
HR & recruitment – AI Agents can screen resumes, schedule interviews, and even assess candidate fit based on behavioral patterns, reducing manual workload.
Finance & expense management – Instead of just tracking expenses, AI Agents analyze spending patterns, detect fraudulent transactions, and suggest budget optimizations.
Legal document processing – AI Agents can review contracts, flag discrepancies, and suggest legal adjustments, speeding up compliance and risk management.

Over time, they become more and more specialists in their assigned tasks. That is the magic of this new technology.

The rapid advancement of AI Agents is driven by the growing demand for automation, innovations in Natural Language Processing (NLP), and the need for more personalized customer experiences. In 2023, the AI Agent market was valued at $3.86 billion and is expected to grow at a staggering 45.1% CAGR between 2024 and 2030. Keep reading to see if investing in this technology is the right move for your business.

How can AI agents be used in your business?

AI Agents can be applied in a variety of ways, including:

Omnichannel customer service & sales – Imagine your company receiving hundreds of messages daily via WhatsApp, email, and website chat. An AI Agent can respond automatically, resolve FAQs, close sales, and escalate to a human only when necessary—without frustrating your leads like traditional AI or human reps often do.
Internal process automation – Automating meeting scheduling, task management, and real-time data retrieval, ensuring teams are always informed and organized.
System integrations – Capturing and structuring data from various sources without human intervention, reducing complexity and minimizing errors.
Marketing campaign optimization – AI-driven data analysis, A/B testing, message personalization, and real-time budget reallocation to maximize ROI without constant manual adjustments.
Task monitoring & execution – AI Agents trigger alerts, send reminders, and execute automated workflows, reducing the need for micromanagement.

AI Agent vs. Chatbot

The fundamental difference between AI Agents and chatbots lies in their ability to act autonomously. Unlike traditional AI models that require constant human input, AI Agents initiate actions, make decisions based on predefined goals, and adapt to new demands in real time. This makes them highly valuable in complex and dynamic environments.

Simply put, here are some examples:

Traditional chatbot → Follows a rigid script and struggles with anything beyond pre-defined responses.
AI Agent → Understands the situation, learns from every interaction, and adapts its responses dynamically.

Example: Customer Support

🔹 Traditional chatbot: A customer asks, “What’s the delivery time for NY?” The bot responds generically, “Delivery takes 5-7 business days”, without considering product type or real-time inventory.

🔹 AI Agent: It analyzes stock, checks the assigned carrier, and replies with, “For your ZIP code, product X can be delivered in 3 business days via carrier Y. Would you like to complete your purchase now?”

Example: Technical Support

🔹 Traditional chatbot: Follows a rigid decision tree, asking the customer to restart the device or check their connection before escalating to human support.

🔹 AI Agent: Understands the issue, analyzes system logs (if integrated), and suggests solutions based on previous cases—only escalating when truly necessary.

How to build an AI Agent for your business?

Setting up an AI Agent isn't as simple as flipping a switch—it requires expertise in AI development, but the process generally involves:

Defining its purpose – Will it handle customer service, automate tasks, or analyze data in real-time? Set your goal first.
Training with real data – Ensuring it speaks the language of your business.
Integrating with key systems – CRM, ERP, and other essential platforms.
Continuous optimization – AI Agents learn and evolve over time, refining their responses based on interactions.

Depending on complexity, AI Agents can be live in days for simple tasks, or take weeks for more advanced use cases that require extensive training.

Real Benefits of AI Agents for Businesses

Discover key benefits of AI Agents for your business:

Fewer hires, more scalability - A retail chain with high turnover rates doesn’t have to constantly train new salespeople. Instead, an AI Agent can educate customers on product details, simulate purchases, and help close sales—reducing hiring needs without sacrificing service quality.
24/7 Availability - AI Agents provide round-the-clock support, answering questions, guiding users, and even closing deals on weekends and holidays—with no need for human intervention.
Faster and more accurate responses - Cut response times by up to 80% with instant replies and no waiting queues.
Lower operational costs - Reduce dependency on SDRs and support teams for routine inquiries, freeing staff for strategic tasks.
Higher conversion rates - For low-ticket products, AI Agents can shorten the sales cycle to under a day, engaging customers at the exact moment of purchase intent.
Personalization at scale - AI Agents continuously learn from interactions, delivering more relevant and engaging responses over time.

At the end of the day, AI Agents don't replace humans entirely—but they minimize the need for large teams handling repetitive work. The result? Faster operations, smarter decision-making, and higher profit margins.

How an AI Agent Works (Simplified Architecture)

If we were to design an AI Agent, it would consist of multiple interconnected layers, each playing a vital role in understanding, processing, and responding autonomously:

Communication interface: Enables interaction via chat, voice, email, APIs.
Natural Language Processing (NLP): Interprets user intent, context, and nuances.
Knowledge base: Draws from databases, CRMs, and past interactions to formulate responses.
Decision-Making engine: Uses rules, machine learning, and workflow automation to determine actions.
Monitoring & feedback: AI Agents improve over time through continuous learning.

AI Agents are already reshaping businesses—will you be next?

AI Agents are already helping companies scale operations without increasing headcount. Early adopters will gain a competitive edge, leveraging AI to optimize processes and improve customer experience. Are you ready to stay ahead?