Sort a shared inbox into the right work queues
Every email to a shared mailbox is read, classified, matched to a customer or case and routed to the right queue with its attachments. Duplicates and noise are filtered out. For teams where one person triages the inbox first thing every morning.
Function: Operations · Industry: Any industry
Sort a shared inbox into the right work queues
6 steps
At a glance
- Trigger
- An email arrives in the shared mailbox.
- Typical inputs
- Inbound email with attachments
- Queue definitions and owners
- Customer and case records
- Routing and priority rules
- Systems it usually connects to
- Gmail
- Outlook
- Zendesk
- Asana
- How the work splits
4 rules, 1 model, 1 person steps
How it runs, step by step
6 steps, each tagged by what does the work. Rules are fixed logic, a model reads or drafts, and a person decides.
- Rules Fixed logic in code
- Model AI reads or drafts, with a confidence score
- Person A named person decides
- 1
Filter the obvious
RulesAuto-replies, newsletters and exact duplicates are tagged and moved out of the working queue.
- 2
Classify the message
ModelA model labels the request type, urgency and language, and extracts references such as an order or case number.
- 3
Match to a record
RulesThe sender and references are matched to a customer or open case, and the email is attached to it.
- 4
Route to the queue
RulesRules assign the queue and owner by type, customer tier and workload, and set the response deadline.
- 5
Handle or re-route
PersonThe owner handles the item, and a one-click re-route sends it elsewhere if the classification was wrong.
- 6
Learn from re-routes
RulesEach correction is stored so classification can be reviewed and improved against real examples.
Where people approve
The decisions that stay with your team, whatever the confidence score says.
- Queue owners can override any classification.
- Messages about legal threats or complaints always go to a named person.
- Routing rules are owned by the operations lead.
KPIs to track
What to measure, before and after. Targets come from your own baseline.
- 01Time from arrival to assigned owner
- 02Share of messages re-routed after classification
- 03Messages unanswered past their deadline
- 04Hours spent triaging by hand
Questions about this workflow
How accurate is the classification?
We measure it before launch on a sample of your past emails and set the auto-route threshold from that. Below the threshold, messages go to a triage person with a suggested queue rather than being routed blind.
What about attachments?
They are read when the routing depends on them, such as an invoice or a signed form. Otherwise they are kept with the message and passed along untouched.
Which steps use rules, a model and a person?
Rules: filter the obvious; match to a record; route to the queue; learn from re-routes. Model: classify the message. Person: handle or re-route. Rules are fixed logic in code. A model reads or drafts and reports its confidence. A named person decides.
What do we need to start?
Typically: inbound email with attachments; queue definitions and owners; customer and case records; routing and priority rules. You also need read access to Gmail, Outlook, Zendesk and Asana, or the equivalents you use. A workflow audit measures your volumes and past cases first, then gives a fixed price for the build, so you can decide with real numbers.