# Meet the agents

Ten short stories about work you'd rather not do, and the helper that can do it.

The people in these stories are made up. The work the agents do is real.

> Toby: "Hi, I'm Toby. I'm an agent. That means I don't only answer questions, I get things done. Come and watch me work."

## What is an agent?

1. **You ask.** "Sort out this month's receipts."
2. **It plans.** The agent breaks the job into steps.
3. **It uses tools.** It reads files, looks things up, and brings back finished work for you to check.

## Marketing: the blank caption

Dana runs a bakery. Dana runs a bakery. It's Sunday night, she hasn't posted in two weeks, and her phone is full of photos with no words to go with them.

> Toby: "Ooh, a blank caption. My favorite kind of problem. Hand me the megaphone."

1. I read Dana's three notes about her week: a new sourdough, a sold-out Saturday, a kind review.
2. I turn them into five posts, one a day, each matched to a photo.
3. I write a 20-second video script for the sourdough, with a shot list. Action!
4. I lay the whole week out as a calendar. Tidy.

**Your call.** Dana reads the five posts, changes one line, and taps approve. Nothing is published until she says so.

**After.** The week is planned before her tea goes cold. Monday morning she's shaping loaves, not staring at a blank caption.

Skills used: [Weekly post plan prompt](https://shop.getnoden.com/prompts/weekly-post-plan-from-three-business-updates), [Reel script prompt](https://shop.getnoden.com/prompts/reel-script-from-a-single-tip)

[Try this yourself](https://shop.getnoden.com/prompts/weekly-post-plan-from-three-business-updates)

## Sales: the enquiry on the roof

Marcus installs solar panels. Marcus installs solar panels. A new enquiry lands while he's up on a roof, and by the time he's down the customer has often called someone else.

> Toby: "Headset on. I'll have the homework done before you're off the ladder."

1. I read the enquiry form.
2. I look at the customer's business website to see what they actually do.
3. I draft a short, personal reply with three questions for a first call.
4. I add a tidy contact record for Marcus's list.

**Your call.** Marcus gets a buzz, reads my draft on his phone, and taps send himself.

**After.** The customer hears back while they still remember asking. Marcus finishes the roof.

Skills used: [Web Page to Clean Data](https://shop.getnoden.com/marketplace/cmv3b5t6g0003p9m6ih7ejpge), [Discovery call questions prompt](https://shop.getnoden.com/prompts/discovery-call-question-list)

[Try this yourself](https://shop.getnoden.com/marketplace/cmv3b5t6g0003p9m6ih7ejpge)

## Bookkeeping: the shoebox

Aisha is a freelance photographer. Aisha is a freelance photographer and tax time is coming. Her receipts live in a shoebox, a glovebox and four email folders.

> Toby: "A shoebox of receipts. Some people see a mess. I see a puzzle."

1. I read each photographed receipt and pull out the vendor, date and total.
2. I check that the line items add up to the total, and flag the two that don't.
3. I sort everything into categories.
4. I build one expense sheet.

**Your call.** Aisha looks at the two flagged receipts, fixes one, and confirms the categories. Her accountant gets a clean file.

**After.** The shoebox is empty. Aisha is editing a wedding shoot.

*I organize records. I'm not a tax advisor.*

[Get an agent like this](https://getnoden.com/get-an-agent)

## Support: forty unread emails

Priya sells handmade candles with Tom. Tom and Priya sell handmade candles online. They wake up to forty emails and one very unhappy customer.

> Toby: "I read overnight, so your morning starts with answers instead of questions."

1. I read the overnight inbox and group the messages by topic.
2. I draft replies for the routine ones, using the shop's own refund and shipping policy.
3. I put the upset customer at the top, with a summary and a careful draft.
4. I notice six people asked the same thing, and suggest a help page.

**Your call.** Priya reviews the drafts over breakfast and sends them. She rewrites the upset customer's reply herself, and calls them.

**After.** The inbox is clear by nine. The hard conversation got a human.

Skills used: [Reply drafts prompt](https://shop.getnoden.com/prompts/reply-drafts-from-a-customer-message), [Refund and return response set](https://shop.getnoden.com/prompts/refund-and-return-response-set), [Help article prompt](https://shop.getnoden.com/prompts/help-article-from-a-solved-ticket)

[Try this yourself](https://shop.getnoden.com/prompts/reply-drafts-from-a-customer-message)

## Research: the price across town

Elena owns a bike shop. Elena owns a bike shop. She suspects the shop across town changed its prices, but checking twelve product pages every week just never happens.

> Toby: "Binoculars out. I'm very good at watching, so you don't have to."

1. Once a week, I visit the product pages Elena chose.
2. I pull the price and stock note from each.
3. I compare them with last week.
4. I send a short note listing only what changed.

**Your call.** Elena reads a five-line summary on Monday and decides whether to change anything.

**After.** She knows what moved, and she found out without opening a browser.

*I only read public pages, and I follow each site's rules for automated visitors.*

Skills used: [Web Page to Clean Data](https://shop.getnoden.com/marketplace/cmv3b5t6g0003p9m6ih7ejpge)

[Try this yourself](https://shop.getnoden.com/marketplace/cmv3b5t6g0003p9m6ih7ejpge)

## Operations: who agreed to what?

Ben manages a landscaping crew. Ben manages a small landscaping crew. The Monday meeting ends, everyone nods, and by Wednesday nobody remembers who agreed to what.

> Toby: "I listen to the meeting so everyone else can stop taking notes."

1. I turn the meeting into text.
2. I list the decisions that were made.
3. I list each task with its owner and due date, and mark the ones where nobody was named.
4. I draft the follow-up message to the crew.

**Your call.** Ben fills in two missing owners and sends the message himself.

**After.** Wednesday arrives, and the list is on everyone's phone.

[Get an agent like this](https://getnoden.com/get-an-agent)

## Developer: checking the locks

Jun builds an app with a friend. Jun builds an app with a friend. It leans on dozens of open-source parts, and a security warning about one of them could land any day. They'd hear about it late.

> Toby: "I check the locks. Every night, if you set me up that way."

1. I read the list of parts the app depends on.
2. I look each one up in a public database of known security problems.
3. I find one with a fix available.
4. I write a short note: what it is, how serious, and which version fixes it.

**Your call.** Jun reads the note, reviews the suggested update and applies it himself.

**After.** The problem is patched the morning it's announced.

Skills used: [Dependency CVE Lookup](https://shop.getnoden.com/marketplace/cmv3b5u810009p9m69gbsyyc1)

[Try this yourself](https://shop.getnoden.com/marketplace/cmv3b5u810009p9m69gbsyyc1)

## Website care: the check-up

Grace runs a yoga studio. Grace runs a yoga studio. Her website was built three years ago, she's fairly sure something on it is broken, and she has no idea what.

> Toby: "Wrench time. I give your website a check-up and tell you what I found in plain words."

1. I walk through every page and test every link.
2. I find four broken links and a class timetable page that no longer exists.
3. I check whether AI assistants can read the site properly.
4. I write a fix list, most important first.

**Your call.** Grace forwards the list to her web person, or fixes the easy ones herself.

**After.** New students can find the timetable again.

Skills used: [Agent-Readiness Check](https://shop.getnoden.com/marketplace/cmv3b5t340001p9m6vnxzvux4), [Sitemap and Broken Link Crawler](https://shop.getnoden.com/marketplace/cmv3b5ub0000bp9m61xhx94k5)

[Try this yourself](https://shop.getnoden.com/marketplace/cmv3b5t340001p9m6vnxzvux4)

## Local business: what the neighbors see

Ray owns a barbershop. Ray owns a barbershop. Customers leave reviews he never answers, and his online listing still shows last year's holiday hours.

> Toby: "I look after the things your neighbors see when they look you up."

1. I read the new reviews Ray pasted in.
2. I draft a reply to each: warm for the good ones, calm and specific for the one complaint.
3. I write this month's update for the shop's listing.
4. I make a checklist of details to confirm: hours, phone number, holiday closures.

**Your call.** Ray reads the replies, posts them himself, and corrects his hours.

**After.** The next person searching for a haircut finds a shop that answers.

[Get an agent like this](https://getnoden.com/get-an-agent)

## Launch day: every tool at once

Dana is opening a second bakery. Dana, the baker from the first story, is opening a second shop. There is a very long list of small jobs and exactly one of her.

> Toby: "Big days call for every tool at once. Watch this."

1. Research: I check what nearby bakeries offer.
2. Marketing: I plan two weeks of opening posts and a video.
3. Website care: I check the new shop's page and its links.
4. Local business: I draft the new listing and opening hours.
5. Support: I prepare answers to the questions customers will ask.
6. Operations: I turn the planning meeting into a checklist with owners.
7. Bookkeeping: I track the opening costs as receipts come in.

**Your call.** Dana sees one summary with seven sections, each waiting for her approval.

**After.** Opening morning. The queue is out the door and Dana is behind the counter, where she wants to be.

[Get your first agent](https://getnoden.com/get-an-agent)

## How it all fits together

You don't need ten tools to start. Most people begin with one assistant that picks up skills as it needs them. That's what Noden is for.

## You stay in charge

- **A spending limit you set.** An agent can never spend more than your daily cap.
- **Your approval comes first.** Agents draft; you decide what gets sent or published.
- **A record of everything.** If you sign up for a Noden account, every skill used is listed in your dashboard.

## Questions

**Are these real customers?** No. The people and businesses are made up. The skills are real, and you can try several for free.

**Do I need all ten?** No. One assistant with the right skills can do most of this.

**Will an agent send things without asking me?** Not unless you set it up to. These stories all show approval first, and we recommend starting that way.

**What does it cost?** Connecting is free and some skills are free. Paid skills are priced per call. See pricing.

**Do I need to code?** No.

[Get your first agent](https://getnoden.com/get-an-agent)