The rise of AI agents. What are they and why it matters

For years, most people’s experience of “AI” in customer service has been a little pop-up on a website offering a few pre-written options. They can be helpful, but they’re often frustratingly limited. AI agents are something different. They don’t just chat, they take action. That shift is changing how businesses, big and small, think about customer service and operations

• An older AI chatbot can answer “Can I reschedule my lesson?” with a scripted message
• An AI agent can connect to your booking system, move the lesson, and send the customer a new confirmation

Thanks to advances in large language models and maturity of integrations, AI Agents are now practical for everyday businesses. The leap to AI Agents has been made possible by key advances:

• Smarter language models – LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude can now reason, plan steps, and follow instructions with much greater accuracy. Instead of following a strict set of “if this, then that” rules they can understand intent, plan steps, and interact across multiple systems to achieve a goal
• Secure integrations – As LLM intelligence has increased so has our ability to plug them into existing systems. Agents can now safely connect into other systems through encrypted APIs and token-based authentication

That combination means AI agents can understand a complex set of requests and use reason to chose the best course of action to resolve. As an example, Breezy can classify what a customer is asking about and then use reason to decide if it should check availability, update booking record, cancel a reservation or apply a complex policy to resolve the customers issue.

What does it mean for your business?

This shift matters because it closes the gap between big companies with large call centres and a SME with a small number of staff. With an AI agent in place:

• Customers can get instant help, 24/7
• Customers can ask questions however they like, the AI can use reasoning to understand them

• You can dramtically decrease the amount you spend on customer service whilst simultaneously improving it

It’s like having an extra team member who never sleeps, never gets tired, and always follows the playbook. Companies like Klarna and Expedia are experimenting with AI agents to handle refunds, travel bookings, and account changes in real time. This type of technology is now available to any sized business through products like Breezy.

Humans or agents

An AI agent doesn’t replace the personal touch. People still want human advice for complex or sensitive issues. But it does handle the routine, which means your staff can focus on higher-value conversations including upselling, solving tricky problems, and building customer relationships.

Building trust with customers

Some owners worry whether customers will trust AI agents. The data shows they do as long as the service is fast, accurate, and secure. In fact, many customers don’t care if they’re talking to AI if the answers are helpful and correct. For them, the benefit is simple, no waiting, no hassle. Issues only arise if the agent struggles to resolve their issue, this is the same if the agent is human or AI. You can read more about if consumers trust AI in our post.

Using AI Agents

What’s the difference between a chatbot and an AI agent?

A chatbot only provides information and follows predefined rules. An AI agent can take action inside your booking system. They can also think through customer problems.

Is my customer data safe?

Yes. AI Agents connect through encrypted APIs, use token-based authentication, and only access the data they need. They are actually more secure than a human operator.

Will AI agents replace my staff?

No. They handle repetitive tasks, freeing staff to focus on personal service and more complex situations. They help you but humans are always needed in the loop. We explore the role of human operators in our post on using AI to manage your bookings.

Key take away

AI agents mark a step change in customer service. For small businesses, they level the playing field with larger competitors, giving you instant responses, consistent policies, and a smoother customer journey. Agents are here, and they’re changing the rules. The businesses that adopt them early will set the standard for customer service in the years to come.