finnExplainer
AI agent, chatbot, or Task: what does your business need?
Choose the right kind of automation for a question, a one-time request, or a recurring job.
“What is your return policy?” and “Review yesterday’s unfulfilled orders every morning” are different requests. One needs an answer. The other describes an ongoing job. Treating both as the same kind of chatbot project makes setup and measurement harder than they need to be.
Use an answer when information is the result.
A policy question may be complete once the person receives accurate, relevant guidance. The system needs an approved source and the right access. It does not need to change a record just to demonstrate that it is an agent.
Check whether the answer depends on a particular order, location, or customer agreement. General guidance should not be presented as a confirmed decision about a specific customer’s entitlement.
Use an agent when the request requires action.
A request to prepare a quote or change a booking needs more than an explanation. An agent can gather the details, use permitted actions, and ask a person to approve an exception. It should distinguish a draft from a committed change.
Start with the result: a quote saved for review, for example. Sending it to the customer is an additional action. Naming that boundary helps the team choose sensible access and approval rules.
Use a Task when the job should recur.
In Finn, a Task is a saved job with a defined goal and a scheduled or event-based start. A morning review of unfulfilled orders belongs here. Each run is one attempt to perform the job, and its results should remain visible.
Specify which orders qualify, who receives the review, and what happens when no orders qualify. A recurring start does not remove the permissions or approvals that would apply to the same work requested in a conversation.
Combine them without confusing them.
A customer may ask a question, then request an action. An employee may discuss a report, then decide to run that review every week. The experience should support those transitions while making any new commitment clear.
Measure each against its purpose. An accurate answer, a completed action, and a successful recurring run are related outcomes, but counting messages alone will not tell you whether any of them worked.