What's a scenario and which type should you use?
7 min
in , everything you build is a a is an automated workflow that connects apps and services in this article, understand what are, how to choose the right type for your workflow, and what to do next to get started what's a ? a scenario https //help make com/scenarios and connections is your automated workflow, and modules https //help make com/types of modules are its building blocks each module belongs to an app https //help make com/introduction to make apps and performs a specific task, such as watching for data, updating it, or sending it to another service when an external event triggers the first module, the later modules run in sequence types of scenarios before you build a , you'll need to decide between three types a standard scenario , an ai scenario , and an ai agent scenario each is suited to different kinds of workflows and data standard a standard scenario is a series of non ai modules that follow fixed rules common uses include simple, repetitive tasks such as sending notifications, updating inventory, and synchronizing data between systems ai an ai scenario is a standard that includes one or more ai modules it's ideal for predictable workflows where you need ai at specific steps to analyze data, generate content, or convert data to other formats ai agent an ai agent scenario uses the make ai agents (new) https //help make com/make ai agents new app and lets the agent decide the path, rather than following a fixed one it's best for workflows that involve classification and delegation, mostly rely on unstructured data like pdfs and emails, and use files to personalize results how they compare types differ based on how fixed the workflow is, how much data is unstructured, and whether and how they use ai data logic results best for standard scenario structured (forms, spreadsheets, fields) fixed rules (if this, then that) consistent (same input, same output) predictable processes that need controlled, auditable outcomes ai scenario a mix of structured and unstructured fixed rules, with ai judgment in specific steps mostly consistent, with some variable ai generated parts workflows that need structure, with flexibility in a few steps ai agent scenario mostly unstructured (text, documents, chat) flexible (the agent decides) variable, depending on what the agent decides open ended goals where the path isn't fixed in advance when to use each use this decision tree to choose the right for your workflow examples below are industry specific examples of what each type can do sales marketing customer support standard scenario send new lead form responses to a crm upload videos to youtube and post them on linkedin save customer reviews to a google sheet ai scenario evaluate a lead, determine its icp fit, and summarize pain points transcribe videos, identify viral topics, and draft platform specific posts analyze and categorize customer sentiment, then notify the relevant manager on slack ai agent access the crm and calendar, research leads, and book meetings strategically execute tasks to grow a social media following, including choosing topics, scheduling posts, and replying to comments read a customer query, search the company knowledge base, and reply to the customer what's next once you've decided on the type, here's what to do next if you chose a standard scenario , build the workflow step by step for a guided walkthrough, see create your first scenario docid\ p5dhtppuocagn3dnhot86 if you chose an ai scenario , add one or more ai modules at specific steps of your choose from built in ai apps like make ai toolkit docid\ cfgqhraekfexygbyow wc , make ai web search docid\ chz264dv3dwupyhe9ytkj , and make ai content extractor docid jf9ohemg72rrdb9chwxv , or ai provider apps like anthropic claude docid\ foxikgvklnq7rezxz6wwd and openai docid\ erxxzx7ntkonc19sojho8 if you chose an ai agent scenario , add the make ai agents (new) docid\ tdbuxjpvpgmqxzpwvqj7w app to your and give it the tools and files it needs to work on its own to get started quickly, explore the library of agents https //www make com/en/ai agents library for a template to modify