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How to review an email reply the bot drafted

On an Email Channel, the bot does not send its reply straight away. It writes a draft and holds it for a person to look at. In the Agent Console the draft appears as a card called Email reply - awaiting your...

Updated October 4, 2026. Applies to the BotableX Agent Console. For support agents.

On an Email Channel, the bot does not send its reply straight away. It writes a draft and holds it for a person to look at. In the Agent Console the draft appears as a card called Email reply - awaiting your review, with a timer.

This article shows where the drafts are, what the three buttons do, and what the timer means.

Before you start

  • Email review is on by default for every organization. Your administrator can change it in the Staff Portal; see “How to review email replies before they are sent”.
  • A draft belongs to the first agent who acts on it. If a teammate got there first, you see Another agent is reviewing this draft. and the buttons are grayed out.
  • Only email replies go through review. Web chat and WhatsApp replies from the bot are sent at once.

Important. Approve & send, Send instruction and Send my reply all end with a real email leaving to a real customer. Read the draft before you click.

Where the drafts are

  • At the top of the Inbox, a block called Awaiting your review lists every waiting draft, oldest first. It is pinned above the folders and cannot be closed.
  • In the menu rail, a small badge on Conversations counts them.
  • On the conversation’s own row, a chip says Reply waiting 12m or Needs you 12m.

So how do you review a draft?

  1. Click the conversation in Awaiting your review.

  2. In the Customer chat panel, find the card Email reply - awaiting your review. It shows the bot’s draft, any files the bot attached, a Revision number, and a timer line.

  3. Read the customer’s email above the card, then read the draft.

  4. If the draft is right, click Approve & send. The email goes to the customer exactly as written, files included. One click, no confirmation.

  5. If the draft is close but needs a change, click Ask for a revision. A box opens that says Tell the bot what to change…. Type your instruction, for example Mention the 14-day return window and drop the last paragraph, and click Send instruction. The bot rewrites the draft and the card comes back as Revision 2. Nothing is sent to the customer yet.

  6. If you would rather write it yourself, click Edit myself. A box opens with the bot’s text already in it (Edit the reply the customer will receive…). Change what you like and click Send my reply. Your text goes to the customer.

Either box has a Cancel link that closes it without doing anything.

What the timer means

Problem What to do
Sends automatically in 47m If nobody acts, the bot’s draft goes out by itself when the time is up. Your organization sets how long the wait is.
Sending now… The time is up and the draft is being sent as written.
Waiting for a person - this reply will not send on its own. Your organization turned automatic sending off, or the Channel is set to Consultation only. Nothing happens until a person clicks one of the buttons. The customer waits for you.
Waiting 2h 10m How long the draft has been sitting. The bigger this number, the longer the customer has waited.

Having the conversation open on your screen pauses the automatic send. As long as the card is in view and your browser tab is active, the countdown is held back. Close or leave the conversation and the clock runs again. This is so a draft you are reading does not leave under your nose.

When you would rather answer yourself

There is no Reject button. If the bot’s draft is the wrong idea entirely, click Take over in the conversation header. The card disappears, the bot goes quiet, and you write to the customer directly in the Message box. See “How to take over a conversation and hand it back to the bot”.

Common problems

Problem What to do
Another agent is reviewing this draft. A teammate acted first. You can read the draft but not change it. If they are away, ask them to Take over and release, or handle the customer another way.
Another agent already owns this draft - your action was not applied. You and a teammate clicked at the same moment; they won. Nothing was sent twice.
The revision failed (…). The previous version is shown. The bot could not rewrite the draft. Try a shorter instruction, or click Edit myself and fix the text by hand.
The card says Sending now… for a long time Refresh the page. If it is still there, the send failed on the Channel; check the conversation for a Not delivered mark and tell your administrator.
I approved, but the customer says nothing arrived Check the email Channel in the Staff Portal is enabled and the mailbox is connected. See “The Bot is not answering”.
Drafts pile up and nobody is assigned Drafts are not assigned to anyone until someone acts. Agree in the team who watches Awaiting your review.

Tip from the BotableX team. Use Ask for a revision rather than Edit myself when the fix is small. Your instruction teaches the bot what you expect; a hand edit only fixes this one email.