# Support Inbox Auto-Triage > **Version 1.0.0 · Last updated 2026-10-22 · Difficulty: Advanced · Setup time: 60–120 minutes** Your clone watches the shared support inbox on a schedule, sorts every new email, answers the easy ones (as drafts for your team to approve), logs bugs and feature requests in your CRM, and sends anything sensitive to your team channel. You get one daily summary email. --- ## 1. Overview and value A shared support inbox is a mixed pile: simple "how do I...?" questions, real bugs, feature requests, billing problems and the occasional angry or legal email. Someone has to read each one, decide what it is, look up the answer or log it in the CRM, and reply. The urgent and sensitive emails wait in the same pile as the easy ones. Support Inbox Auto-Triage runs as a **scheduled task** (every `{CHECK_INTERVAL}`, for example 15 or 30 minutes, during `{BUSINESS_HOURS}`). Each run, your clone: - finds **new, unprocessed** emails in `{SUPPORT_INBOX}`, - **skips** spam, newsletters, auto-replies, internal-only mail and anything already labeled, - **classifies** each email: Question, Bug/Issue, Feature request, Account/Billing, or Not support, - **answers** questions from your knowledge base when it is confident enough (draft by default), - **logs** bugs and feature requests as a Salesforce Case (or a HubSpot note and follow-up task), and optionally a Linear issue, - **escalates** billing, legal, security, angry and VIP emails to `{TEAM_CHANNEL}`, - **labels** every handled email "Triaged – {category}" so nothing is processed twice, - sends a **daily summary** to `{SUMMARY_RECIPIENTS}`. | Benefit | What it looks like | |---|---| | Faster first response | Easy questions have a drafted answer within one check interval | | Nothing slips through | Every email gets a label, a case, a draft or an escalation | | Less copy-paste | Cases and CRM notes are created with a clear summary and the original email | | Humans on the hard stuff | Billing, legal, security, angry and VIP emails go straight to people | | Safe rollout | Draft mode, confidence threshold and a per-run cap keep you in control | --- ## 2. Who it's for - **Support teams** that share one inbox (for example `support@yourcompany.com`) and want faster first responses. - **Customer Success teams** who want bugs and requests from their accounts logged consistently. - **Ops leads** who want a daily view of volume, categories and escalations without reading every email. You need a knowledge base with real answers (FAQs, how-tos, known issues). Without one, almost everything will be escalated, which is safe but not very useful. ## 3. How it works ``` Scheduled task: every {CHECK_INTERVAL} during {BUSINESS_HOURS} │ ▼ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ "Support Inbox Triage" skill │ │ │ │ 1. Read {SUPPORT_INBOX}: new emails without a "Triaged" label │ │ (up to {MAX_PER_RUN} per run) │ │ 2. Skip: spam · newsletters · auto-replies · no-reply · │ │ internal-only · already labeled │ │ 3. Safety check: legal · security · billing dispute · angry · │ │ VIP sender ({VIP_LIST}) ──────────────► ESCALATE │ │ 4. Classify │ │ ├─ Question ──► search_knowledge ──► confidence 0-100 │ │ │ ≥ {CONFIDENCE_THRESHOLD} ─► reply │ │ │ (draft, or send if {SEND_MODE}) │ │ │ below ─────────────────► ESCALATE │ │ ├─ Bug/Issue ─┐ │ │ ├─ Feature ───┴► Salesforce Case (or HubSpot note + task) │ │ │ + optional Linear issue (confirmed bugs) │ │ │ + acknowledgment reply with case number │ │ ├─ Account/Billing ─────────────────────► ESCALATE │ │ └─ Not support ─► label only │ │ 5. Escalation ──► post to {TEAM_CHANNEL} (Slack or Teams) │ │ 6. Apply label / category "Triaged – {category}" │ │ 7. Once a day: summary email to {SUMMARY_RECIPIENTS} │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ### How each category is handled | Category | What the clone does | Reply | |---|---|---| | **Question** | Searches the knowledge base, scores confidence (0–100) with a short rationale | Draft (or sent, if `{SEND_MODE}` is auto-send) when confidence is at or above `{CONFIDENCE_THRESHOLD}`; otherwise escalate | | **Bug / Issue** | Salesforce Case (or HubSpot note + task); optional Linear issue for confirmed bugs | Acknowledgment with case number (draft by default) | | **Feature request** | Salesforce Case (or HubSpot note + task) with a clear summary | Acknowledgment with case number (draft by default) | | **Account / Billing** | Escalates to `{TEAM_CHANNEL}`. Never answers billing disputes | None from the clone | | **Not support** | Labels only (for example vendor pitches, recruiters) | None | ### Always escalated, whatever the category Anything legal, security-related, a billing dispute, clearly angry, or from a sender on `{VIP_LIST}` goes to `{TEAM_CHANNEL}` for a human. The clone does not reply to these. ## 4. What the clone does (and never does) **Does** 1. Reads only new, unlabeled emails in `{SUPPORT_INBOX}`, up to `{MAX_PER_RUN}` per run. 2. Classifies, then answers, logs or escalates as above. 3. Saves replies as **drafts** until you switch `{SEND_MODE}` to auto-send. 4. Applies a "Triaged – {category}" label or category to every email it handles. 5. Posts escalations with summary, classification, confidence and a link to the email. 6. Sends one daily summary to `{SUMMARY_RECIPIENTS}`. **Never** - Promises a fix, a date, a roadmap item or a workaround it did not find in the knowledge base. - Shares another customer's data, cases or names. - Answers billing disputes, legal or security questions. - Replies to auto-replies, no-reply addresses, mailing lists or to the same sender more than `{MAX_REPLIES_PER_SENDER_PER_DAY}` times in a day. - Processes the same email twice. - Asks for or handles passwords, API keys or tokens. ## 5. Setup walkthrough The quickest path: download **CLONE-INSTRUCTIONS.md** and give it to your clone. It checks what is connected, asks for your settings, shows a plan and sets up what it can after you approve. The steps below show what to expect. **Step 1: Check requirements (10 min).** Open **REQUIREMENTS.md** and go through the pre-flight checklist. Build or review your knowledge base first. **Step 2: Hand the instructions to your clone (2 min).** Paste or upload CLONE-INSTRUCTIONS.md and say: *"Please set up this use case for me. Show me a plan before changing anything."* **Step 3: Review the discovery table (5 min).** The clone reports which operators and connections it has and which are missing. **Step 4: Answer the placeholder questions (10 min).** See section 6. **Step 5: Approve the plan (2 min).** The clone lists exactly what it will attach, save and schedule. Say "yes" only when it looks right. **Step 6: Do your part (20–40 min).** - Connect the shared inbox to the clone through the platform's sign-in (OAuth). The connection must belong to the clone or to a shared mailbox the clone can use. - Create the labels (Gmail) or categories (Outlook) in that inbox, or let the clone create them if it can. - Connect Salesforce or HubSpot, Linear (optional), and Slack or Teams. - Share the knowledge base with the clone. - Set your business hours and check interval. **Step 7: Save the skill (5–10 min).** The clone saves **Support Inbox Triage**, or hands you the full text with paste steps. Read it before saving. **Step 8: Run the test plan (20 min).** Send test emails from an address you control, run the skill manually and check the results. **Step 9: Stay in draft mode for 1–2 weeks.** Review the drafts, escalations and daily summaries. Adjust the threshold and knowledge base. Only then consider auto-send. ## 6. Placeholders to decide | Placeholder | What it means | Example | |---|---|---| | `{SUPPORT_INBOX}` | The shared support mailbox the clone checks | support@yourcompany.com | | `{CHECK_INTERVAL}` | How often the scheduled task runs | 15 minutes (or 30) | | `{BUSINESS_HOURS}` | When the task runs, with time zone | Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00 America/New_York | | `{CONFIDENCE_THRESHOLD}` | Minimum confidence (0–100) to reply to a question | 70 (default); use 80+ to start more cautiously | | `{SEND_MODE}` | `draft` (default) or `auto-send` | draft | | `{TEAM_CHANNEL}` | Slack or Teams channel for escalations | #support-escalations | | `{SUMMARY_RECIPIENTS}` | Who gets the daily summary email | support-leads@yourcompany.com | | `{VIP_LIST}` | Senders or domains that are always escalated | Key customer domains, executives | | `{MAX_PER_RUN}` | Maximum emails handled per run | 20 | | `{MAX_REPLIES_PER_SENDER_PER_DAY}` | Reply-loop guard (the "N times" limit) | 2 | | `{YOUR_COMPANY_DOMAINS}` | Your own domains (internal-only mail is skipped) | yourcompany.com | | `{CASE_OWNER}` | Who owns new cases or follow-up tasks | Support queue or a named person | | `{CRM_CHOICE}` | Salesforce or HubSpot | Salesforce | | `{CREATE_LINEAR_ISSUES}` | Create Linear issues for confirmed bugs (yes/no) | no | ## 7. What to expect day to day - **Every `{CHECK_INTERVAL}` during `{BUSINESS_HOURS}`:** a run starts. A normal run with a few emails takes a few minutes. - **In the inbox:** handled emails get a "Triaged – {category}" label. In draft mode you will find a saved draft reply on question and acknowledgment emails. - **In `{TEAM_CHANNEL}`:** one post per escalation with summary, classification, confidence and a link. - **Each day:** a summary email to `{SUMMARY_RECIPIENTS}` with counts per category, what was drafted or sent, cases created, escalations, skipped emails and any source problems. - **Your job in draft mode:** review drafts, edit if needed and send them yourself. Note which drafts you changed; that tells you where the knowledge base is weak. ## 8. Customizing - **Threshold.** Raise `{CONFIDENCE_THRESHOLD}` (80 or 90) to escalate more, or lower it slowly once drafts look good. - **Send mode.** Switch `{SEND_MODE}` to auto-send only for Question replies at high confidence, and keep acknowledgments as drafts if you prefer. - **Categories.** Rename labels, or add a sub-category (for example "Bug/Issue – urgent"). - **VIP rules.** Add domains, named people or account tiers to `{VIP_LIST}`. - **Linear.** Turn `{CREATE_LINEAR_ISSUES}` on or off. It only applies to confirmed bugs. - **Tone.** Ask the clone to edit the reply style in the skill (shorter, warmer, your sign-off). - **Schedule.** Change the interval or hours at any time through the scheduled task. ## 9. Known gotchas - **Start in draft mode for 1–2 weeks.** Review what the clone would have sent before switching to auto-send. - **Build the knowledge base first.** FAQs, how-tos and known issues. Thin knowledge means low confidence and many escalations. - **Keep thresholds conservative.** A wrong confident answer costs more than an escalation. - **Labels must exist in the inbox.** In Gmail, create the labels (setup creates them or tells you how). In Outlook, create the categories. If a label is missing, the clone must stop and report it, because without labels emails would be processed twice. - **Watch for reply loops.** The clone never replies to auto-replies, no-reply addresses or mailing lists, and never more than `{MAX_REPLIES_PER_SENDER_PER_DAY}` times a day to one sender. - **The inbox connection must belong to the clone or a shared mailbox.** If you connect your personal mailbox by mistake, the clone will read and label your personal email. - **Set business hours.** Without them the task runs around the clock. - **Replies come from the connected mailbox.** Check that the sending address and signature are right. - **Use exact operator names** from your skill catalog. Names can differ slightly between orgs. - **Read the skill before saving it.** You are responsible for what your clone does. ## 10. FAQ **Which inboxes work?** Gmail (GoogleGmailOperator) and Outlook / Microsoft 365 (Outlook email operator). See the label and category mapping in REQUIREMENTS.md. **Which CRMs work?** Salesforce (Cases) and HubSpot. HubSpot has no ticket operator, so HubSpot users get a note and a follow-up task on the contact or company instead of a ticket. **Will it email customers right away?** Not by default. In draft mode every reply is saved as a draft for a human to review and send. Auto-send is a separate switch you turn on later. **Can I use it without a CRM?** Yes for questions and escalations. Without a CRM the clone cannot create cases or notes, so bugs and requests are escalated to `{TEAM_CHANNEL}`. **What about billing emails?** They are always escalated. The clone never answers a billing dispute. **What if it answers wrongly?** It only answers from the knowledge base, scores its confidence and escalates when unsure. In draft mode a person checks every reply. Raise the threshold if you see weak drafts. **Does the clone read the Slack or Teams channel?** No. It only posts to it. **Can several people review drafts?** Yes, if the shared inbox is open to them. Tell your team where drafts appear (the Drafts folder of the connected mailbox). ## 11. Troubleshooting | Symptom | Likely cause | Fix | |---|---|---| | Nothing happens | Scheduled task missing, paused or outside business hours | Ask the clone to list its scheduled tasks; check `{BUSINESS_HOURS}` and time zone | | Same email handled twice | Label missing or not applied | Create the "Triaged" labels or categories; confirm the skill checks labels first | | Run stops with "label missing" | Label or category not created | Create it in the inbox (see REQUIREMENTS.md) | | No drafts appear | Draft permission missing, or all emails escalated | Check the email connection allows drafts; check confidence in the summary | | Too many escalations | Thin knowledge base or high threshold | Add FAQs and known issues; adjust `{CONFIDENCE_THRESHOLD}` carefully | | Wrong answers in drafts | Outdated or ambiguous knowledge | Fix the source article; raise the threshold | | No Salesforce Case created | Connection or permission issue, or contact not found and not creatable | Re-sign in; check Case create permission; read the run summary | | Escalation not posted | Slack or Teams connection missing | Reconnect; confirm the clone is allowed in `{TEAM_CHANNEL}` | | Auto-reply loop suspected | Auto-responder on the sender side | Check the loop guard; the skill must skip auto-replies and cap replies per sender | | Clone reads personal mail | Wrong mailbox connected | Disconnect and connect the clone's or shared mailbox | --- **Version:** 1.0.0 · **Last updated:** 2026-10-22 · Part of the Clone Use Case Library.