If your inbox feels like a never-ending queue, you’re not alone. Many teams are dealing with overflowing shared inboxes, slow response times, inconsistent replies, and the constant risk of important requests getting missed.
In this webinar, Phil and Anish from Blue Llama introduce Outlook Zen, our “smart inbox” approach using Microsoft tools to automatically understand incoming emails (intent and sentiment), categorise them, prioritise what matters, and take action. That could be drafting replies, sending consistent responses, moving emails into the right folders, or routing messages to the right person, all in seconds.
Anish then breaks down the “core four” components that make it work:
- Outlook as the trigger (a new email arrives)
- Power Automate as the workflow engine (orchestration)
- Azure AI Foundry as the intelligence layer (classification, extraction, reply drafting)
- SharePoint as the control centre (categories, templates, routing rules, and an on/off switch)
You’ll also see a practical case study and demo for Rubis Channel Islands, where the smart inbox helps handle peak email volumes, standardise responses, and reduce repetitive back-and-forth by asking for missing details automatically (like account numbers) before the request is routed to the team.
Watch the recording here:
Key takeaways
- What a “smart inbox” is, and the common inbox problems it solves
- How AI can detect intent and sentiment, then trigger the right workflow
- How SharePoint makes the solution genuinely self-service (no Power Automate edits needed for day-to-day changes)
- How categories, reply templates, and routing rules work together in a real-world customer service inbox
- How to roll this out safely in stages (draft replies first, then automate more as confidence grows)
- How the same approach can be adapted for other teams, like sales or even estate agency enquiries
Want help implementing Outlook Zen?
If you’d like to explore a smart inbox for your organisation, we can help in two ways: a lighter “done with you” rollout for smaller inboxes, or a full “done for you” implementation for high-volume customer service teams.
Drop us a message and we’ll help you map what’s possible, what it would take, and the best way to roll it out.
You might also find these resources helpful:
- Half-Price Productivity Offer
- Jersey Business Better Business Grant
- How Jersey Businesses Can Identify Automation Opportunities and Get Them Funded
- How to create AI assistants to support you and your team
- Identify where AI can add value in your business
- How All Island Media streamlined their customer service with AI
