Can you recommend a tool-using agent for updating records and triggering workflow actions in back-office automation?

Yes — for updating records and triggering workflow actions in back-office automation, I’d recommend a tool-using agent built around an LLM with function/tool calling, rather than a fully autonomous agent.

Good options

• OpenAI Assistants / Responses API with tool calling

  • Best if you want the agent to:
    • read structured inputs,
    • decide which system action to take,
    • call tools like update_record, create_ticket, start_workflow, send_notification.
  • Works well for controlled back-office tasks where reliability matters.

• LangGraph

  • Best if you want a more explicit workflow/state-machine approach.
  • Useful for multi-step business processes with approvals, retries, branching, and human-in-the-loop steps.

• Microsoft Semantic Kernel

  • Good if your back-office stack is already in .NET / Azure.
  • Strong for orchestrating tools and business workflows.

• PydanticAI

  • Good for Python teams that want structured outputs and safer tool integration with less framework overhead.

My recommendation

If your main need is updating records + triggering workflow actions, I’d start with:

LLM + tool calling + a workflow orchestrator

• Use the agent only to interpret intent and choose actions.
• Keep actual record updates and workflow triggers in deterministic backend tools.
• Add approval gates for sensitive actions.

Example tool set

Your agent could expose tools like:

• lookup_customer(id)
• update_case_status(case_id, status)
• create_refund_request(order_id, amount)
• trigger_approval_workflow(payload)
• log_audit_event(action, actor, result)

Key design tip

For back-office automation, avoid letting the agent “freestyle” business logic.
Instead:

1. Agent interprets the request
2. Agent selects one or more approved tools
3. Backend validates permissions/business rules
4. Workflow engine executes and logs everything

If you want, I can also recommend:

• the best stack for Python / JavaScript / .NET,
• a reference architecture,
• or a sample agent + tool schema for this use case.