> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ultravox.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview: Agents & Calls

> Create consistent, reusable voice AI experience with agents or direct call configuration.

## Introduction

Ultravox provides two ways to create voice conversations: **Agents** (recommended) and **Direct Calls**. For all new projects, we strongly recommend starting with agents as they provide better consistency, reusability, and maintainability.

## Agents vs Direct Calls

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Agents (Recommended)" icon="robot" color="#22c55e">
    <br />

    **Reusable templates** that define assistant behavior, personality, and capabilities. Create once, use for multiple calls.

    <br />

    **Best for:** Production applications, consistent experiences, team collaboration.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Direct Calls" icon="phone" color="#6b7280">
    <br />

    **One-time configurations** where you specify all settings for each individual call.

    <br />

    **Best for:** Quick testing, very simple one-off use cases.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Why Start with Agents?

[Agents](/api-reference/agents/agents-post) provide a way to define voice assistants that can be reused across multiple calls, ensuring consistent behavior and capabilities. This enables you to maintain a cohesive user experience with minimal configuration overhead at call creation time. Each agent includes a call template that defines system prompts, voice settings, available tools, and more.

Key benefits of using Agents:

**Reusable Configuration** → Create a single agent definition and use it for multiple calls without repeating configuration settings.

**Consistent Experience** → Ensure your voice experience maintains the same personality, capabilities, and behavior across all interactions.

**Version Control** → Update an agent's configuration in one place and have changes apply to all future calls.

**Simplified Deployment** → Reduce the complexity of starting calls by referencing an existing agent instead of providing all configuration details.

<Note>
  <b>Time-Saving Feature</b>

  Agents are ideal for production applications where you want consistent behavior across multiple user interactions.
</Note>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Build Your First Agent" icon="hammer" href="/agents/building-and-editing-agents">
    Create reusable voice assistant templates
  </Card>

  <Card title="Start Making Calls" icon="phone" href="/agents/making-calls">
    Use agents or direct calls to create conversations
  </Card>

  <Card title="Advanced Techniques" icon="graduation-cap" href="/agents/guiding-agents">
    Learn sophisticated conversation control
  </Card>
</CardGroup>