Support answers with a source behind them
A fictional software-support team works from approved product articles. Reviewers search several documents before preparing each answer. Unsupported questions need a clear escalation path.
- Proposed workflow
- Read the request · Retrieve approved sources · Prepare a cited draft · Review and respond
- Human control
- A support reviewer checks the sources and approves the final answer.
Human effort per month
Hours · review included38.3% less human effort under these assumptions. This is not cash savings.
Workload mix
- Known topics60%
- Context-dependent30%
- Escalation cases10%
Assumed distribution, not measured activity.
Inspect the data, calculation and pilot decision
| Input or calculated measure | Illustrative value |
|---|---|
| Monthly in-scope volume | 900 support requests |
| Before: human minutes per item | 12 |
| Proposed: human minutes per item | 7 |
| Additional operating hours per month | 6 |
| Baseline human hours per month | 180 |
| Proposed human hours per month | 111 |
| Net capacity change per month | 69 hours |
| Illustrative pilot window | 5 weeks; not a delivery commitment |
| Assumed mix: Known topics | 540 items |
| Assumed mix: Context-dependent | 270 items |
| Assumed mix: Escalation cases | 90 items |
Calculation: 900 × 12 ÷ 60 = 180 baseline hours. Proposed: 900 × 7 ÷ 60 + 6 operating hours = 111 hours.
Pilot decision: Do sources support the answer, and are correction effort and reopened requests included?
Limit: Faster drafts are not a benefit if answer quality deteriorates. No autonomous customer reply is assumed.
Fictional worked example. Future human handling includes review, exceptions and corrections; operating hours are additional. Compare the same workload before drawing a conclusion.