Guides

Email

Email Automation enables your Zowie AI Agent to automatically resolve customer interactions over email—using the same configuration (intents, processes, knowledge, and persona) as for other channels like chat and voice.

Key information

  1. Uses the same AI Agent configuration as Chat and Voice channels.
  2. Connects to your helpdesk — Works natively with Zendesk, Dixa, or Zowie Inbox. No migration needed.
  3. Handles full conversations — Automates entire email threads, not just the first message.
  4. Resolves customer requests automatically— Automates both processes as well as FAQ-based answers.
  5. Escalates seamlessly to your team— Smooth handoff whenever a case needs a human. Conversations are routed to the queue defined in the Handover configuration. Mailbox routing rules are applied only if a Routing Exception is configured.
  6. Keeps results measurable— All email interactions are available in Supervisor for review with clear reasoning and metrics.

How do we measure success

Automated Resolution Rate (Deflection Rate) is calculated on Email in a different way compared to Chat or Voice channel. An email interaction is considered automatically resolved if:

  1. The AI Agent handled the conversation, and
  2. The end customer does not reply within 24 hours of the last AI Agent email.

This prevents counting cases as “resolved” too early and ensures accuracy.

Supported Systems

Email Automation works on top of customer helpdesk platforms:

  • Zowie Inbox – Fully configurable via the interface.
  • Zendesk – Requires setup with the Zowie Solutions team.
  • Dixa – Requires setup with the Zowie Solutions team.

Please note that:

  • Functionality may differ across systems (e.g., HTML styling, signatures, or handoff behavior).
  • The setting up process is different across systems.

Getting started

Enabling email automation on Zowie Inbox

You can configure Email Automation for Zowie Inbox directly in the product interface.

Before You Start

Make sure you meet the following prerequisites before enabling Email Automation in Zowie Inbox:

  1. AI Agent setup – You must have a fully configured AI Agent (intents, processes, knowledge, persona).
  2. Reference phrases – At least 20 high-quality reference phrases per intent are recommended for email. These should capture the key part of the customer’s message (not greetings, signatures, or footers).
  3. Handover module – At least one handover module must be defined in your AI Agent to route unresolved tickets to human agents.
  4. Styling limitations – Zowie Inbox supports signatures only. Full HTML styling is not supported today.
  5. Testing recommendation – We recommend starting with a small percentage of traffic (e.g., 10–20%) before rolling out broadly.

Configuration steps

  1. Go to Settings. In Zowie, navigate to: Inbox → Settings → Mailbox
  2. Select AI Agent settings. Choose the mailbox you want to automate and open the AI Agent configuration tab.
  3. Enable AI Agent automation. Toggle Enable AI Agent to turn automation on for this mailbox.
  4. Choose the AI Agent. From the dropdown, select the AI Agent that should handle email traffic. This reuses the same configuration (intents, processes, knowledge, persona) as other channels.
  5. Set traffic percentage. Use the slider to decide what portion of incoming email traffic the AI Agent should automate (from 0% to 100%). We recommend starting with a partial rollout (e.g., 10–20%) and increasing gradually.
  6. Configure replies Decide whether the AI Agent should:
    1. Reply to sender only (Reply to), or
    2. Reply to all participants in the thread (Reply All).
  7. Add a signature (optional). Enable the HTML Signature option to append a preset signature to every email sent by the AI Agent.
  8. Save changes. Click Save. Your AI Agent will now begin automating emails according to your configuration.

Enabling email automation on Zendesk

Email Automation for Zendesk is enabled with the support of Zowie’s Customer Success (Solutions) team. The setup relies on tags, triggers, and webhooks in Zendesk that connect directly with your Zowie AI Agent.

Before You Start

Please prepare the following in Zendesk before Zowie configures automation:

  1. Routing rules – Decide which tickets should be eligible for automation (e.g., by mailbox, priority, or tag).
  2. Rollout plan – Define whether you’ll begin with one mailbox/queue or expand gradually.
  3. Agent seat – Ensure a Zendesk agent seat is available for the AI Agent (used to send replies; not set as ticket owner).
  4. Signatures & styling – Prepare the signature and any HTML templates you want applied to AI Agent emails.

How will Zowie’s AI Agent automate your Zendesk email traffic?

  1. Routing by tags– Zendesk triggers apply automation tags to eligible tickets. These triggers also fire webhooks that pass tagged tickets to Zowie.
  2. Automation flow – When a ticket carries an automation tag, the AI Agent attempts to resolve it. If it cannot, the automation tag is removed, and a handoff tag is applied so the ticket is routed back to a human agent.
  3. Agent collaboration – Human agents can override automation at any time by removing the automation tag, or reapply it to send the ticket back to the AI Agent.
  4. Styling – Signatures and HTML styling are configured directly in Zendesk.
  5. Visibility – AI Supervisor shows the full history between the AI Agent and the customer. Post-handoff conversations with human agents are not stored in Zowie. In Zendesk, you can filter tickets handled by the AI Agent using tags.

Configuration steps

Your Customer Success Manager will guide you through:

  • Creating and configuring the necessary tags, triggers, and webhooks in Zendesk.
  • Defining automation and handoff tags.
  • Connecting your Zendesk environment with Zowie.
  • Verifying rollout scope and safely applying configuration.

Enabling email automation on Dixa

Email Automation for Dixa is enabled with the support of Zowie’s Customer Success (Solutions) team. The setup operates at the queue level and relies on webhooks in Dixa that connect directly with your Zowie AI Agent.

Before You Start

Please prepare the following in Dixa before Zowie configures automation:

  • Queue selection – Decide which queues you want to automate first. Automation is applied at the queue level (all-or-nothing per queue).
  • Rollout plan – Define whether you’ll begin with a single queue or expand gradually.
  • Agent seat – Ensure a Dixa agent seat is available for the AI Agent (used when the AI Agent “claims” a conversation).
  • Signatures – Prepare the email signature you want appended to AI Agent replies. Signatures are configured at the mailbox level in Dixa.

How will Zowie’s AI Agent automate your Dixa email traffic?

  • Routing by queues– Conversations reaching selected queues are passed to Zowie via customer-configured webhooks.
  • Automation flow – The AI Agent attempts to resolve new conversations in those queues. If it cannot, it initiates a handoff, and the ticket follows Dixa’s normal assignment strategy back to a human agent.
  • Agent collaboration– Human agents can take over anytime from the Dixa Search page Conversation list. They can also reassign a conversation back to the AI Agent if needed.
  • Styling – Signatures are managed at the mailbox level in Dixa.
  • Visibility – AI Supervisor shows the history of conversations between the AI Agent and the customer. Post-handoff conversations with human agents are not stored in Zowie. In Dixa, all conversations handled by the AI Agent are visible in the Search page and can be filtered by agent.

Configuration steps

Your Customer Success Manager will guide you through:

  • Configuring webhooks in Dixa to send conversations from selected queues to Zowie.
  • Setting up queue-level automation rollout (starting with selected queues).
  • Ensuring proper handoff logic is applied when the AI Agent cannot resolve a conversation.
  • Verifying rollout scope and safely applying configuration.