AI Draft Mode vs. Auto Mode

TelBuddy's AI can handle texting in two ways. The choice is made per AI receptionist, and a receptionist is assigned to one or more numbers, so a line you are still testing can run one way while a line you already trust runs the other.

Draft mode. The AI reads the incoming text and writes a suggested reply, but nothing is sent. The suggestion appears in the inbox as a clearly marked draft and a person decides: click Edit to change the wording, or Send Now to send it as written. Either way the draft is cleared once handled, so nothing stale is left in the thread. The AI also sees its own unsent drafts in the conversation history, labelled as not yet delivered, so it does not repeat itself while a draft waits.

Autopilot. The AI replies on its own with no review step. That removes the wait for someone to approve a message, which matters after hours or at volume, and it means whatever the AI decides to say goes out unreviewed.

Booking appointments in each mode. With Book appointments by text turned on for the receptionist and a Google Calendar connected, the AI can check availability, list free times within business hours, and book. The conversation is identical in both modes: it confirms an exact date and time with the customer, then writes a reply saying the appointment is booked. The difference is what happens to the calendar.

• In Autopilot the event is written to the calendar and the reply is sent.
• In Draft the reply is held, and the draft card shows the appointment with "Book it on the calendar when this message is sent" already ticked. Book & Send writes the event (after a fresh availability check) and sends the text in one click. Untick to send without booking, or Edit first. If the slot was taken in the meantime, nothing is sent and the card says so.

Nobody has to open Google Calendar by hand in either mode. Full detail in AI Appointment Setting.

Where the answers come from. In both modes the AI answers from your knowledge base when you have one, and from general context alone when you do not. See Teaching Your AI With a Knowledge Base. It is also told the current date and time in the number's time zone, so "Thursday at 2" is resolved correctly.

The pattern most teams follow. Start a new number in Draft and watch what the AI writes for real conversations. Once you trust the wording and the judgment on that line, switch it to Autopilot. Lines with sensitive or high-stakes conversations often stay in Draft on purpose.

Features at a glance

• Mode is set per AI receptionist, so different lines can run differently
• Draft: the AI suggests, a person edits or sends; the draft clears once handled
• Autopilot: the AI replies immediately, without review
• Appointments: Autopilot books directly; Draft holds the booking for one-click Book & Send
• Answer quality improves with a knowledge base
• Switch modes at any time as trust in a line grows