> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brilo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is an agent

> What a Brilo agent is, what goes into one, and when you need a second one rather than making the first do everything.

An agent is the thing that talks to your customers. It has a voice, a language, instructions you
write, material it can answer from, and things it is allowed to do. One agent can answer calls, texts,
and email, so most businesses need only one to begin with.

## What one agent contains

Everything about how your agent behaves lives in these six places, and each is a tab on your agent.

| Part               | What it decides                                    | Where          |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- | -------------- |
| Instructions       | What it says and how it behaves                    | **Prompt**     |
| Voice and language | How it sounds and which language it speaks         | **Configure**  |
| Tone and patience  | Whether it is brisk or warm, and how long it waits | **Configure**  |
| Knowledge          | The material it answers from                       | **Knowledge**  |
| Actions            | The work it can do while talking                   | **Actions**    |
| Phone numbers      | Which numbers it answers                           | **Deployment** |

Change any of these and the next call uses the change. Calls already in progress finish on what they
started with.

## When you need a second agent

Start with one. Add another when the behaviour should genuinely differ, not because you have a second
job for it to do.

Good reasons for a second agent:

* **A different language.** An agent speaks one language, so serving English and Spanish callers
  properly means two agents on two numbers.
* **A different location or business.** Different opening hours, different staff, different prices.
* **A quieter after hours agent.** Some businesses want a shorter, message taking style at night.
* **A campaign agent.** An agent that calls out can be written differently from one that answers.

Poor reasons, where one agent handles it:

* Bookings and questions in the same call. One agent does both.
* Calls and texts. One agent covers both.
* Different departments. That is [routing](/calls/route-calls-to-the-right-team), not a second agent.

## What an agent cannot do

* It cannot speak two languages on one call, except with the Multilingual option in India.
* It cannot use two voices, or change voice partway through a call.
* It cannot answer the same number as another agent for calls, though calls and texts on one number
  can go to different agents.
* It cannot change its own instructions. See
  [What your agent can do](/supported/what-your-agent-can-do).

## What else you can do here

* [Create your first agent](/agents/create-your-first-agent) if you have not built one.
* [Write what it says](/agents/write-what-your-agent-says), the highest value edit available.
* [Save a version](/agents/versions) before a big rewrite.
* [Set the tone and patience](/agents/give-your-agent-a-personality) rather than describing them in
  words.
* [See how many agents your plan includes](/supported/plans).

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How many agents can I have?">
    One on Free, three on Starter, and unlimited on Pro, Growth, and Custom. Agents you no longer use
    still count on Free and Starter, so delete an old one before building a new one. See
    [Plans and what they include](/supported/plans).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need a separate agent for texts and calls?">
    No. One agent handles calls, texts, and email. You can point calls and texts on the same number at
    different agents if you want a different style for each, but that is a choice rather than a
    requirement.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can one agent handle more than one language?">
    Not on the same call, except with the Multilingual option available to workspaces in India. Serving
    two languages elsewhere means one agent per language, usually on separate numbers. See
    [Supported languages](/supported/languages).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can one agent answer for two businesses?">
    It can, but it usually should not. Two businesses mean two sets of prices, hours, and greetings,
    and an agent asked to hold both will occasionally mix them up on a live call. Build one agent per
    business.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does each agent need its own phone number?">
    Each agent that answers calls needs a number attached, but one agent can have several numbers. Two
    agents cannot both answer calls on the same number. See
    [Assign a number to an agent](/phone-numbers/assign-a-number-to-an-agent).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to an agent I stop using?">
    Nothing, until you delete it. It stays in your list, keeps its instructions and knowledge, and
    costs nothing while no number is attached. On Free and Starter it still counts towards your agent
    limit.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What is the difference between an agent and the Brilo assistant?">
    Your agent answers your customers. The Brilo assistant is the helper inside your dashboard that
    answers your questions about Brilo. Your customers never meet the Brilo assistant.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Create your first agent](/agents/create-your-first-agent) to build one
* [How Brilo works](/how-brilo-works) for how agents fit with knowledge and actions
* [What your agent can do](/supported/what-your-agent-can-do) for the capability list
* [Write what your agent says](/agents/write-what-your-agent-says) for its instructions
* [Plans and what they include](/supported/plans) for how many agents you get