Recipes / Support
Support inbox triage with FAQ-grounded drafts
Classifies support emails, logs tickets to Sheets, Slack-alerts urgent complaints, and saves FAQ-grounded reply drafts (never auto-sent).
App vs bot, side by side
| Old app / habit | Bot | |
|---|---|---|
| Tool | Helpdesk first-pass triage | n8n + Gmail + Google Sheets + OpenAI |
| Monthly cost | Not reported | OpenAI API usage + n8n; free template |
| Setup | None (already in use) | Not reported · Beginner |
| Your time | Baseline | Not reported |
| Maintenance | Handled by vendor/you as before | Keep FAQ/knowledge text current. |
| Privacy | Data stays with the app vendor | Email content is sent to the LLM provider (e.g. OpenAI). Needs Gmail OAuth access to read, label and draft. |
Full comparison
| Replaces | Helpdesk first-pass triage |
|---|---|
| Bot / agent stack | n8n + Gmail + Google Sheets + OpenAI |
| Monthly cost before | Not reported |
| Monthly cost after | OpenAI API usage + n8n; free template |
| Setup time | Not reported |
| Time saved | Not reported |
| Skill level | Beginner |
| Reliability | 4/5: drafts only, a human always presses Send. |
| Maintenance | Keep FAQ/knowledge text current. |
| Privacy & data | Email content is sent to the LLM provider (e.g. OpenAI). Needs Gmail OAuth access to read, label and draft. |
| Best for | Small support inboxes |
| Not for | Teams already on a helpdesk with SLAs |
Pros and cons
Pros
- Never auto-sends
- Ticket log in Sheets
- Slack alerts for urgent complaints
Cons
- Polls every minute (API usage)
- Draft quality depends on your FAQ
How it works
- Connect Gmail
- Write FAQ/business info
- Add OpenAI credential
- Create log sheet
- Activate
Source and evidence
Human-in-the-loop by design: drafts only.
Read the original Template source ↗
“Not reported” means the source doesn't say. We never fill gaps with guesses. Numbers marked “per author” or “vendor claim” are the source's own and weren't independently tested. Source re-checked 2026-10-15.
Plain-text summary (for search and AI assistants)
Support inbox triage with FAQ-grounded drafts. Replaces Helpdesk first-pass triage with n8n + Gmail + Google Sheets + OpenAI. Cost before: Not reported. Cost after: OpenAI API usage + n8n; free template. Setup: Not reported, Beginner. Time saved: Not reported. Reliability 4/5: 4/5: drafts only, a human always presses Send. Best for: Small support inboxes. Not for: Teams already on a helpdesk with SLAs. Source: https://n8n.io/workflows/18047-triage-support-emails-and-draft-ai-replies-with-gmail-google-sheets-and-openai/
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