A workflow watches your inbox (Gmail or Outlook) for new messages, then applies rules and AI steps. It can detect intent like “lead,” “support,” or “invoice,” pull out details (name, company, deadline), and choose an action. Common actions include labeling, assigning, sending an auto-reply, or drafting a response for approval. Many teams also push a summary to Slack and log the thread to Google Sheets. Honestly, it’s like having a first-line inbox assistant that never sleeps.

No. On Flowpast you can start with a proven n8n workflow template, connect your accounts, and tweak a few fields like your brand voice and routing rules. If you can set up a filter in Gmail, you can run most of these.

For most teams, it saves about 2 hours a day once triage and routine replies are automated. The big wins come from removing repeat work: sorting, tagging, copying details into trackers, and sending the same “got it—here’s next steps” reply. It also cuts down context switching, which is what really drains you. If you handle sales inquiries or support requests, faster first responses often means more booked calls and fewer unhappy follow-ups. Your inbox becomes a pipeline, not a to-do list.

You’ll need an n8n workspace (self-hosted or cloud), access to your email account (Gmail or Microsoft Outlook), and any destinations you want to update, like Slack or Google Sheets. If you use AI drafting, add an OpenAI API key (or another supported model provider). Start with one mailbox and one use case, like “new lead auto-reply + Slack alert.” Then expand to routing, logging, and approval steps once it’s stable.