Tool execution modes

Choose whether the agent waits for a tool's response (Immediate) or keeps the conversation flowing while the action runs in the background (Async).

Tool execution modes

Tools are actions the agent can execute during a call — for example, looking up or saving information in one of your systems through a webhook.

Each tool runs in one of two execution modes:

Mode	What it does
Immediate (default)	The agent waits for the tool's response before continuing the conversation.
Async	The agent triggers the action and keeps talking, without waiting for a response.

When to use Async

Choose Async for actions whose result the agent doesn't need to say out loud during the call. For example:

• Registering an event or updating a record in your CRM.

• Triggering an internal notification.

Running these in the background avoids silences and unnatural pauses while the agent waits for an external system to respond.

Keep Immediate whenever the agent needs the result to continue the conversation — for example, checking an order status or availability that the agent has to read back to the lead.

Setting it up

1. Go to Tools in your organization menu.

2. Create a new tool, or edit an existing one.

3. In the tool form, set the Execution mode field to Immediate or Async.

4. Save. The mode is stored together with the rest of the tool's configuration (webhook, parameters, variables…).

Good to know

• Async mode is only available for agents that use ElevenLabs as their voice provider. It is not supported on Bland.

• A tool set to Async cannot be assigned to an agent running on Bland — the interface will warn you when you select this mode.