At Thunderbird, our support team is committed to helping you when you need it. As we grow, we will be introducing automation, including AI-powered tools. These tools are to assist us, not replace us. This will improve the experience for our users, community, and support team.
What Does “Automation in Support” Mean?
Automation is helping our support team behind the scenes to:
- Route and organize incoming tickets faster
- Suggest helpful articles and answers
- Detect urgency, intent, and sentiment
- Identify trends and analyze feedback
- Write draft replies (agents always review and edit)
These tools help us focus more on complex cases while empowering you to find the knowledge you need now and in the future.
Will I Talk to an AI Bot?
Only if you want to,
We will offer optional, clearly-marked AI responses to help with questions, especially outside our working hours. These bots:
- Are available to respond 24/7
- Provide the option to contact a human instead
- Can suggest help articles or ask clarifying questions
- Will not pretend to be human
- Will be closely monitored for quality and accuracy
You stay in control. We're here for you.
Why Use Automation in Support?
Here’s why we’re embracing AI-powered tools in support now:
- Support is not the product: People write to us for help. Automation helps us assist everyone better, quicker.
- Setting expectations early: Transparency from the start builds trust.
- Avoiding surprises: Many support tools now include AI by default. We want you to know what we’re using and why we’ve chosen it.
Your Privacy and Trust Matter
We take your privacy seriously. That’s why we’re:
- Publishing this article to explain how we use automation
- Updating our Privacy Policy to reflect AI tools in support
- Designing every workflow to remain human-first by default
No decisions or actions are made solely by AI, and we do not use AI to share or sell your data to anyone else. We're using it only to provide faster, better help.
What’s Next?
Automation will start alongside the launch of Thunderbird Pro. We'll pilot and refine these tools with care and consider your input while scaling responsibly.
We’re working closely with Thunderbird's Legal, Marketing, and Community teams to ensure our use of automation and AI reflects Thunderbird’s values.
Thank You for Your Trust
As Thunderbird continues to grow, we remain committed to support that’s privacy-minded and community-centered. Automation helps us in responding - it does not replace the passionate people within Thunderbird.
If you have questions or concerns about our use of automation and AI in support, we welcome your feedback.