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AI Email Answering

Updated

Overview

The AI Email Answering feature enables AI-powered responses to helpdesk tickets across all your support integrations. This powerful tool automatically handles incoming customer emails, reducing your support team's workload by providing accurate, AI-generated responses to common customer inquiries.

Benefits

  • Reduce Support Ticket Volume: Let AI handle routine customer inquiries coming through email channels
  • Faster Response Times: Provide immediate answers to customer questions 24/7
  • Consistent Brand Voice: Maintain your brand's tone and voice in all communications
  • Free Up Agent Resources: Allow your human agents to focus on complex issues that truly require their attention
  • Seamless Integration: Works with your existing helpdesk platforms and workflows

Getting Started

Activating the Feature

  1. Log into the Rep console at the following link: https://app.hellorep.ai/home
  2. In the left-hand menu, navigate to Settings > Integrations and select the Support tab at the top.
  3. Find the integration card for the helpdesk you are using and click on See Details to open the settings:
    • Toggle on the box labeled "AI answering emails"
    • This setting is disabled by default

Configuration Options

When activating AI Email Answering, you can choose how the AI should handle responses:

  1. Send answer immediately: The AI will craft a response and automatically send it to the customer
  2. Save as draft: The AI will craft a response but save it as a draft for your agents to review before sending

The "Save as draft" option is recommended when first using the feature, as it allows you to:

  • Review AI responses before they reach customers
  • Adjust your AI's knowledge and responses if needed
  • Build confidence in the system's capabilities

AI Agent Details

You can specify the AI support agent's details that will appear in email signatures:

  • Name: The name that will appear in the signature
  • Email: The email address customers can reply to

How It Works

Eligibility

The system automatically determines if an incoming email is eligible for AI answering:

  • Eligible emails:
    • New support inquiries from customers
    • Follow-up questions on conversations previously handled by AI
  • Non-eligible emails:
    • Rep AI-created tickets from the web
    • Tickets previously answered by a human agent
    • Follow-up emails on conversations already handled by humans

Response Flow

When an eligible email is received:

  1. The system creates a new support session or continues an existing one
  2. The AI analyzes the customer's message and context
  3. The AI generates an appropriate, customized response
  4. Based on your configuration, the response is either:
    • Sent automatically to the customer and the ticket is marked as resolved
    • Saved as a draft for review by your agents
  5. All interactions are logged for analytics and improvement purposes

Fallback Mechanism

If the AI cannot confidently answer a question:

  1. The system will not send an automatic response
  2. The ticket will remain open for a human agent to handle
  3. The conversation will be tagged for your reporting and analytics

Response Format

AI-generated responses follow this format:

 
####### This is an AI-generated response. Reply "Human" to connect with a real agent. ######
[Response Content]

Best,
AI Support Agent
[Your Merchant Name]

The AI will:

  • Provide detailed, helpful answers to customer questions
  • Maintain your brand's tone of voice
  • Include appropriate links when referencing products (no product carousels)
  • Close with a friendly sign-off, inviting further questions when needed

Ticket Handling

  • If the AI can fully resolve the customer's inquiry, it will mark the ticket as Closed
  • If the AI needs more information from the customer, it will mark the ticket as Pending
  • All tickets handled by AI are tagged with Handled_By_AI for easy reporting

Analytics and Reporting

Track the performance of AI Email Answering through the Console:

  1. Navigate to the Analytics screens
  2. Use the filter Platform = Helpdesk to view AI email answering metrics
  3. Key metrics include:
    • Number of emails answered by AI
    • Resolution rate
    • Customer satisfaction
    • Handoffs to human agents

You can also view individual AI-handled conversations in the Conversations screen using the same filter.

Best Practices

For optimal results with AI Email Answering:

  1. Start with "Save as draft" mode until you're confident in the AI's responses
  2. Review AI-generated answers regularly to ensure quality
  3. Train your AI by providing feedback on its answers
  4. Monitor analytics to identify areas for improvement
  5. Update your AI's knowledge base with new products, policies, or information

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: AI is not answering certain emails

  • Solution: Check if these emails fall under non-eligible categories or if they contain complex queries the AI isn't trained to handle

Issue: AI responses lack specific information

  • Solution: Ensure your AI's knowledge base is up-to-date with all relevant product and policy information

Issue: Customers are frequently requesting human agents

  • Solution: Review AI responses for quality and consider additional AI training

Getting Help

If you need assistance with the AI Email Answering feature:

  1. Contact your account representative
  2. Submit a support ticket through the Console
  3. Check the knowledge base for additional guides and tutorials

FAQs

Q: Will customers know they're talking to an AI? A: Yes, all AI-generated responses include a disclaimer indicating they were created by an AI. Customers can request a human agent by replying with "Human."

Q: Can I customize the AI's tone of voice? A: Yes, the AI will use the same tone of voice configured for your web chat interactions.

Q: What happens if a customer replies to an AI-answered email? A: If the customer replies, the AI will attempt to answer the follow-up question. If the AI cannot answer confidently, the conversation will be handed off to a human agent.

Q: Can I see which tickets were handled by AI versus human agents? A: Yes, all AI-handled tickets are tagged with "Handled_By_AI" for easy identification in your helpdesk system and analytics reports.

Q: Does the AI answer all types of customer inquiries? A: The AI is trained to handle common customer inquiries but will automatically escalate complex issues or those requiring human judgment to your support team.

 
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