An article by WikiHow states:

Many people are familiar with responding to a lawsuit with a motion to compel arbitration. However, you can also file a petition to compel even when no lawsuit is pending.

I was researching this area of law and I came across a different (but overlapping) concept known as a declaratory judgement action:

A declaratory judgment is a binding judgment from a court defining the legal relationship between parties and their rights in a matter before the court. When there is uncertainty as to the legal obligations or rights between two parties, a declaratory judgment offers an immediate means to resolve this uncertainty.

What's the difference between the two types of fillings/lawsuits?

In what circumstances should each one be used?