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Illustrative example, not a client engagement

Example playbook: customer email

This shows the shape of a playbook from a Human–AI Workflow Audit. The team, figures and rules below are invented to illustrate the format.

1. Snapshot

Workstream: incoming customer email for a small support team. AI already classifies messages and drafts replies from the knowledge base; people review and send. The aim of the playbook is to make clear who leads each step, when a person steps in, and who is accountable for the reply.

2. Roles

StepLeadAI rolePerson steps in
Triage incoming emailAIClassify and draft replyPerson reviews anything tagged refund, legal or complaint
Draft replyAIFirst draft from knowledge basePerson edits and approves before send
Unusual or high-value casePersonSummarise history onlyEscalate to team lead

3. Review and override rules

  • No AI draft is sent without a person approving it.
  • Anything tagged refund, legal or complaint always gets a person’s review.
  • A person may override any AI classification or draft; the override is logged with a short reason.
  • When the AI is unsure or the case is unusual, it summarises the history only and hands over.

4. Accountability

The person who approves a reply owns it. The team lead owns escalated cases and the weekly review of overrides. The AI is never the accountable party.

5. Baseline metrics illustrative values

  • Override rate (AI drafts changed substantially)e.g. 30% (placeholder)
  • Rework (replies reopened within 7 days)e.g. 8% (placeholder)
  • Median time to first replye.g. 6 hours (placeholder)
  • Escalations to team lead per weeke.g. 12 (placeholder)

Placeholder values to show the format. A real playbook uses figures measured in your own workstream.

6. Hotspots

  • Refund requests that the AI classifies as general questions.
  • Drafts that quote outdated knowledge-base articles.
  • Long threads where earlier promises to the customer are missed.

7. 30-day rollout

  1. Week 1: agree the roles table and review rules with the team; start logging overrides.
  2. Week 2: apply the refund, legal and complaint tags and the hand-over rule.
  3. Week 3: first weekly override review led by the team lead; fix the top hotspot.
  4. Week 4: re-measure the baseline metrics and adjust the rules.

Want this for one of your workstreams?

The Human–AI Workflow Audit produces a playbook like this for one live workstream.