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Case Study Jan 10, 2026 6 min read
CXassist vs. Manual Email Replies: A Time Comparison
We measured how much time teams save with AI-drafted replies vs. writing every email from scratch. The results might surprise you.
We ran a simple experiment: two teams, same inbox, one week. Team A used CXassist in Draft mode. Team B replied manually. Here's what happened.
The setup
Both teams handled a shared support inbox receiving ~60 emails per day. Team A had CXassist trained on the company's knowledge base, FAQ, and previous replies. Team B had the same knowledge base in a Google Doc for reference.
The results
| Metric | Team A (CXassist) | Team B (Manual) |
|---|---|---|
| Avg. reply time | 45 seconds | 3.5 minutes |
| Emails handled/day | 58 | 42 |
| Customer satisfaction | 4.6/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Time spent on email/day | 1.5 hours | 4.2 hours |
Key takeaways
- 73% faster replies — Team A spent an average of 45 seconds per email (reviewing and sending the AI draft) vs. 3.5 minutes for Team B.
- 38% more emails handled — With less time per reply, Team A cleared 16 more emails per day.
- Same quality — Customer satisfaction scores were virtually identical, proving AI drafts matched human quality.
- 2.7 hours saved daily — That's 13.5 hours per week per agent, redirected to complex issues, proactive outreach, and product improvements.
When to use Draft vs. Auto-send
For support teams, we recommend starting in Draft mode for 2 weeks. Once you trust the AI's accuracy (most teams see 90%+ accuracy after proper training), switch high-volume categories to Auto-send and keep sensitive topics in Draft.