Manufacturing Company Automates 80% of Customer Emails with AI Inbox Autopilot
How a mid-sized manufacturer handled 3x email volume with the same team size by deploying AI Inbox Autopilot in just 14 days.
Email automation rate
Time to production
Volume capacity increase
The Challenge
A mid-sized industrial equipment manufacturer was experiencing rapid growth. Their customer service team of 5 people was handling 500 customer emails per day - mostly routine inquiries about order status, shipping, product specifications, and pricing.
The problems were mounting:
- Response times had increased from 2 hours to 8+ hours
- The team was working overtime just to keep up
- Customer satisfaction scores were declining
- Hiring 10 more people would cost $600K/year
- Manual email handling was error-prone and inconsistent
The Breaking Point
"We were drowning. Our team was working 60-hour weeks and still falling behind. We knew we needed to either hire a lot more people or find a better way. Traditional chatbots weren't an option - our customers needed real answers, not canned responses."
— Operations Director
The Solution
Big Sky Dynamics implemented AI Inbox Autopilot, a productized solution specifically designed for B2B customer service operations. Unlike generic AI tools, Inbox Autopilot:
- Understands context: Integrates with their ERP (Odoo) to access real-time order data, inventory levels, and customer history
- Handles complexity: Can process multi-part questions, look up technical specifications, and provide accurate pricing
- Maintains brand voice: Trained on their existing email templates and communication style
- Knows when to escalate: Routes complex or sensitive issues to human agents automatically
Implementation Timeline
Week 1: Setup and Integration
- • Connected to Microsoft 365 and Odoo ERP
- • Imported historical email data for training
- • Configured business rules and escalation criteria
- • Set up monitoring and reporting dashboards
Week 2: Testing and Launch
- • Soft launch with 20% of incoming emails
- • Team reviewed AI responses and provided feedback
- • Fine-tuned automation rules based on results
- • Full launch on day 14
The Results
Immediate Impact (First Month)
- • 80% of emails fully automated
- • Response time reduced from 8 hours to 15 minutes
- • Team overtime eliminated
- • Customer satisfaction score increased from 3.2 to 4.6
Long-Term Impact (6 Months)
- • Handling 1,500 emails/day (3x increase)
- • Same 5-person team
- • Avoided hiring 10 additional people ($600K/year savings)
- • Team now focuses on complex issues and relationship building
Financial Impact
What Made This Work
Three key factors drove this success:
1. Deep System Integration
Unlike generic AI tools, Inbox Autopilot deeply integrates with Odoo ERP and Microsoft 365. It can look up real-time order status, inventory levels, and customer history - providing accurate, contextual responses.
2. Productized Solution
No 6-month custom development project. Inbox Autopilot is a proven, productized solution that works out of the box. Implementation took 14 days, not 6 months.
3. Change Management
The team was involved from day one. They reviewed AI responses, provided feedback, and saw immediate value. Adoption was 95% within the first month because the tool made their jobs easier, not obsolete.
"AI Inbox Autopilot transformed our customer service operation. We went from drowning in emails to handling 3x the volume with the same team. Our customers are happier, our team is less stressed, and we saved $600K in hiring costs. The 14-day implementation was shockingly fast - we expected months, not weeks."
— Operations Director
Mid-sized Industrial Equipment Manufacturer
Key Takeaways
- Start with high-volume, routine tasks: Email automation is ideal for AI because it's repetitive and data-rich
- Integration is everything: Generic AI tools can't deliver 80% automation without deep system integration
- Speed matters: Productized solutions deliver ROI in weeks, not months
- Change management is critical: Technology is easy; getting people to use it is hard
Ready to automate your customer service?
Schedule a demo to see how AI Inbox Autopilot can help your team handle more volume with less stress.