What Is an Agent? The New Era of Voice-First Workflows for Teams

What Is an Agent (and Why Is Everyone Talking About Them)?

If you've asked ChatGPT or Claude a question recently, there's a good chance it was answered by an agent—or a system powered by one.

In software terms, an agent is a semi-autonomous tool that can take action on your behalf, based on your instructions, preferences, or goals.

Think of it as a helpful digital teammate—not just answering questions, but doing things:

• Summarizing meetings
• Writing emails
• Scheduling tasks
• Checking in with your team
• Flagging blockers before they become delays

This isn't the future of work. It's already here.

Simple Definition: What Is an Agent?

An agent is a software system that:

• Receives inputs (often voice or text)
• Makes decisions based on those inputs
• Takes action in a defined system (like Slack, Notion, or email)
• Learns and adapts over time

Agents can be:

• Reactive (respond to prompts)
• Proactive (trigger workflows or reach out first)
• Voice-based (like Hiro)
• Text-based (like many Slackbots)
• Multi-modal (handle tasks across channels)

They're powered by LLMs (like GPT-4 or Claude) but operate more like assistants with memory and tools—not just chatboxes.

What Does an Agent Do in the Workplace?

Modern workplace agents help teams:

• Collect daily updates from team members
• Summarize weekly progress
• Detect patterns (fatigue, blockers, risks)
• Route insights to managers automatically
• Save time and reduce meetings

They don't just surface information. They act on it.

For example, an agent might:

• Ask team members what they're working on
• Detect that three people are blocked on a database migration
• Alert the tech lead and offer a summary
• Log this insight for the next retrospective

This is what Standup Hiro does every day—for engineering teams, product teams, and fast-growing startups.

Standup Hiro: A Voice Agent for Team Alignment

Standup Hiro is a voice-based agent that replaces daily meetings with something faster, smarter, and actually human.

Here's what Hiro does:

• Prompts your team with async voice check-ins (daily, weekly, or ad hoc)
• Transcribes and summarizes every update
• Highlights blockers, energy levels, and focus areas
• Generates a team report in seconds

You speak. Hiro listens. Then it acts.

Whether you're leading a 10-person team or managing a 200-person org, Hiro makes your standups, check-ins, and team rituals agent-powered.

Why Voice Agents Matter

Most agents today are text-based—but the future is voice-first.

Why?

• Voice is faster than typing
• It's more expressive (tone, energy, urgency)
• It captures nuance and emotion
• It's inclusive for teams with varied writing styles or language backgrounds

Hiro was built to be the first voice agent designed for team check-ins and async collaboration.

What Makes a Good Agent?

Not all agents are created equal. A great workplace agent should be:

• Context-aware: Understand your team's rituals and goals
• Lightweight: No training manuals, no complex setup
• Trustworthy: Acts on behalf of users without overstepping
• Integrated: Syncs with Slack, Notion, Google Calendar, etc.
• Auditable: Keeps a transparent record of what it did—and why

Standup Hiro meets all of these. That's why teams use it daily and leaders use its reports to steer strategy.

Final Thought: Agents Are the New Interface

Just like mobile apps defined the 2010s, agents will define the 2020s.
They're not a trend. They're a new layer of work itself.

In a few years, most teams will have agents that:

• Schedule your 1:1s
• Prepare your status reports
• Coach your meetings
• Flag risks before they hit your inbox

You'll wonder how you ever worked without them.

Want to learn more about effective meetings? Check out our article on how to chair a remote meeting like a pro or discover why traditional software isn't fixing your meetings.