How AI employees work: read, draft, wait for approval, and log
Quick answer
On every job, an AI employee reads the records the job needs, drafts the work, waits for your approval before anything is sent, spent, signed, or changed, and logs the decision. In Omni Studio you choose, job by job, whether any step may later run on its own, and you can take that back.
AI employees work in four steps that repeat on every job. They read the records the job needs, draft the work, wait for your approval, and log the decision. An AI employee is software with one job in your business. The four steps let you review the work before an outward action or record change.
We set up the workflow described here with you during Custom Build or Enterprise setup. We agree on the records, tool connections, and approval rules before you use it. Custom workflows are not included in the Pilot. Ask our team to configure this example before you try it. The free 14-day workspace uses sample data with simulated calls, texts, and email; daily limits apply. Phone numbers and message delivery on paid plans use your own Twilio account, billed separately by Twilio.
Below, the four steps on one sample job, what an AI employee can and can't see, and how we agree on access and approval rules.
What are the four steps of every job?
- ReadIt opens the records the job needs: the customer, the history, the calendar, the price list, the policy. It reads only what you've granted it.
- DraftIt prepares the work: a reply, a booking, a reminder, a follow-up, a report. The draft names the records it used and the reason for each choice.
- ApproveSending, spending, signing, and changing records wait for a person. You see the draft on an approval card and choose approve, edit, or skip.
- LogThe decision is written to the activity log: what was drafted, who approved it, when, and what changed.
The order matters. The approval comes before the send, every time. We agree on the approval rules during setup.
What an approval card should show before you click approve walks through the card itself.
An estimate follow-up, step by step
Take an estimate for a new water heater, sent eight days ago, opened twice, with no reply. This is sample data for a fictional plumbing company.
AI employee Cody, who handles sales and estimates, picks it up from the follow-up schedule.
Cody read the estimate, the technician's site notes, and every email so far. The customer's last email asked whether the tankless option fits the garage wall, and the site notes answer that.
So the draft answers the question first and offers two times to talk, instead of a generic "just checking in".
| Step | What happened |
|---|---|
| Read | Cody read the estimate, the technician's site notes, and every email so far |
| Draft | A reply that answers the tankless question first and offers two times to talk |
| Approve | The draft waited on an approval card. The owner approved it |
| Log | It went out from the owner's own email account, and the log recorded the approval |
What does an AI employee read, and where?
An AI employee works inside your workspace, on the records you keep there: customers, jobs, estimates, invoices, and the activity log. It also reads the tools you connect for its job, such as your inbox and calendar.
Omni Studio works with Gmail, Google Calendar, and QuickBooks, and we connect the other tools you already use. We connect your own Twilio and Stripe accounts during setup. The current list is on the platform page.
Each AI employee has a job and the access that job needs, no more. Omni Studio has seven:
| AI employee | Job |
|---|---|
| AI employee Mia | Chief of staff and front desk: answers, takes in, and books |
| AI employee Hank | Operations and dispatch of people, places, and work orders |
| Cody | Sales and estimates, covering quotes, proposals, and follow-up |
| AI employee Reggie | Marketing and growth, covering reviews, recalls, and campaigns |
| AI employee Nora | Billing, books and reports |
| AI employee Olivia | Office manager: documents and records |
| AI employee Sam | Compliance and checks: verifies and keeps deadlines |
Only Mia is on the outside phone line: AI phone answering is available, and Mia answers calls on your own number. The others work behind the scenes on records.
How your data is handled is on the security page.
How are approval rules set?
We agree on access and approval rules during setup. Reading and drafting can run on their own. Outbound messages and record changes wait for your approval.
Runs on its own
Reading and drafting
- Reading the records the job needs and drafting the work
Waits for your approval
Outbound messages and record changes
- A new price
- A refund
- A signature
Review the activity log and ask our team to adjust the workflow when the scope changes.
How to set AI approval gates covers which steps to keep gated.
Can you watch an AI employee work?
Yes, we set this up for you. Each AI employee does its work on its own computer, a screen in your workspace where you see the calendar, inbox, or record it has open and a list of its steps.
You can watch, pause it, or take over at any point. Approvals still work the same way.
To see where these four steps fit in a first rollout, read what an AI employee is and which job to give your first AI employee.
To see the same four steps on a real job, read the estimate and quote follow-up use case.
Frequently asked questions
How does an AI employee work?
It reads the records a job needs, drafts the work, waits for your approval before anything is sent, spent, signed or changed, and logs the decision. In Omni Studio each AI employee has a job, access only to what you grant, and a list of actions that wait for you.
Does an AI employee act without asking?
Not by default. Sending, spending, signing, and changing records wait for your approval. Your approval rules are agreed during setup. Each action is still logged.
What can an AI employee see?
Only what you grant: your records in the workspace, and the inbox, calendar, and apps you connect. Omni Studio works with Gmail, Google Calendar, and QuickBooks, and we connect the other tools you already use. Customer-facing work never shows one customer another customer's records.
Can I watch an AI employee while it works?
Yes, we set this up for you. Each AI employee does its work on its own computer in your workspace, with a list of the steps it took. You can watch, pause it, or take over at any point.
Sources
- Omni Studio AI employees, Omni Studio, read Oct 10, 2026.
- Omni Studio connections, Omni Studio, read Oct 10, 2026.
- Omni Studio security and trust, Omni Studio, read Oct 10, 2026.
- Composio, Composio, read Oct 9, 2026.
- Pricing, Omni Studio, checked Oct 20, 2026.
- Custom Build setup, Omni Studio, checked Oct 20, 2026.
- How Omni works, Omni Studio, checked Oct 20, 2026.
Omni Studio setup scope and plan details were checked against the current pages listed here.
