Multi-agent orchestration lets the AI assistant coordinate multiple configured agents to complete a request in a single conversation.
Employees do not open a separate chat assistant or choose an agent from a list. They send one request. A primary agent interprets the request and, when needed, hands work to a specialist agent. The employee remains in the same conversation and receives a single response.
Orchestration uses only the agents, tools, knowledge, and workflows you have configured. It does not give the assistant unrestricted access to HR systems or allow it to create new actions.
The agents involved
| Role | What it does |
| Primary agent | Interprets the employee’s request, determines what is needed, and coordinates the work. This is the agent employees start with. |
| Specialist agent | Handles a specific domain or set of capabilities, such as time off, policy questions, or another area you have designed. It can use only the knowledge and tools configured for it. |
| Tools and systems | Perform the underlying retrieval or action in a connected system, such as Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, or another configured source. |
How orchestration works
When a request requires more than one type of work, the assistant typically follows these steps.
- Understand the request
The primary agent interprets what the employee needs. This might include information, an action, a workflow, a case, or a combination of these.
- Determine how to complete the request
The primary agent determines whether it can complete the request itself, whether a specialist agent should handle part of the request, and whether a tool or workflow is required.
Not every request requires a handoff. The assistant uses a specialist agent when that agent is configured for the relevant domain and has the required knowledge or tools.
- Hand off within the same conversation
If a specialist agent is needed, the primary agent passes the relevant request and conversation context to that agent. The employee does not start a new conversation or select the specialist agent.
- Use attached tools
The specialist agent uses only the tools and knowledge available to it. For example, it might retrieve a leave balance or submit a time-off request through a Workday or SAP SuccessFactors tool that you have activated and attached.
If the required tool is not attached, the employee is not eligible to use the agent, or the action is not permitted, the assistant cannot complete that step. It can explain the limitation, ask for more information, or raise a case.
- Apply configured controls
Actions continue to follow your permissions and risk controls. Configure confirmation to match the risk of the action. Orchestration does not bypass these controls.
- Return one response
The assistant combines the results into a single response. The employee sees one conversation, even when multiple agents or systems were involved.
Example
An employee says:
“What’s our annual leave policy, how many days do I have left, and can I book next Friday off?”
Depending on your configuration, the assistant can:
- Understand that the request requires policy information, live leave data, and a time-off action.
- Retrieve the leave policy from configured knowledge.
- Hand the time-off request to a specialist agent that has the required tools, if you have configured one.
- Use an attached tool to retrieve the employee’s leave balance from Workday or SAP SuccessFactors.
- Collect any missing information, such as the leave type, and request confirmation if you have configured it for that action.
- Submit the request through the attached tool, or start a published time-off workflow if that is how you designed the process.
The employee receives the policy, leave balance, and outcome of the request in the same conversation.
If a time-off tool is not attached or the employee is not eligible to complete the action, the assistant does not invent a booking. It explains what it can do and, if appropriate, creates a case.
What administrators control
You control how orchestration works in your tenant by deciding:
- Which agents exist and who is eligible to use them.
- Which knowledge sources and tools each agent can use.
- When a specialist agent should handle a particular domain.
- Which actions require confirmation or escalation.
- When a request should start a workflow or create a case rather than be completed in the conversation.
Test the entire journey before enabling actions for employees. Confirm that the primary agent hands off as expected, the specialist agent uses the intended tools, and the employee remains in one conversation.