Build an Outlook Email Triage Workflow
Use this guide when you want Hatz to review Outlook messages, sort them by priority or topic, and prepare a clear next step for the user. A good first version should read messages, classify them, create a summary or draft reply when useful, and leave a review step before anything customer-facing happens.
When to use a Workflow vs. an Agent or App
Use a Workflow when the same triage process should run the same way each time: read a defined set of messages, classify them, produce a report, create draft replies, and list exceptions.
Use an Agent when users need an ongoing assistant they can chat with, or when the assistant should keep the same instructions, sources, and tools across many different email-related requests.
Use an App when the user should fill out a simple form and run a guided one-off action, such as summarizing a pasted email thread or drafting one reply from provided details.
If the goal is repeatable inbox triage, start with a Workflow. If the goal is a general mailbox helper, start with an Agent. If the goal is a simple user-submitted template, start with an App.
Prerequisites
A Microsoft 365 connection in Hatz with Outlook Mail & Calendar included during setup.
A Microsoft account that can access the mailbox you want to triage. Hatz can only work with the mailbox data the connected Microsoft user is allowed to access.
Admin consent in Microsoft, if your organization requires it. In many Microsoft tenants, a Global Admin must approve the Microsoft 365 app before individual users can connect.
Permission in Hatz to create or edit Workflows and enable tools in Workshop.
A model that supports tool calling, or a tool-selection setup that explicitly includes Microsoft 365.
The Microsoft 365 connection is per user. If a workflow is being tested by a different person, that person may need to connect Microsoft 365 from their own Hatz account before Outlook tools are available to them.
For setup details, see Microsoft 365 Integration. For workflow basics, see Workflows and AI Tool Selector.
Recommended workflow shape
Collect triage settings. Ask the user for the mailbox scope they want reviewed, the number of messages or search terms to use, priority rules, topics, and escalation rules.
Read newly received or matching Outlook messages. Enable Microsoft 365 for the step and ask Hatz to retrieve the messages that match the user's settings. Keep the first test small, such as the latest 10 messages or one known sender.
Classify each message. Ask the model to return a structured list with priority, topic, reason, recommended owner, and recommended action. Include an "uncertain" category so the workflow can flag messages that need human review.
Take the safe action. For high-confidence messages, the workflow can summarize next steps or create draft replies in Outlook. Draft replies should stay in Drafts for user review.
Handle categories carefully. If your Hatz workspace exposes a supported Outlook action for applying categories or updating message metadata, add it only after testing. If no category/update action appears in the tool selector, treat category assignment as a requested limitation and use a summary report instead.
Log and escalate exceptions. End with a clear list of messages that could not be classified, messages that may need a human response, permission/tool errors, and any messages skipped because they were outside the selected scope. If Teams or another notification tool is enabled, you can route that exception summary to an internal channel.
Example triage prompt for a workflow step
Use wording like this after the Outlook message-reading step:
Review the Outlook messages from the previous step. Classify each message as Urgent, Needs Response, Informational, or Uncertain. For each message, include the sender, subject, reason for the classification, recommended owner, and next action. Do not send any email. If a reply is needed, create a draft only and include the draft subject in the final output.
Testing checklist
Start with a small set of messages and a test mailbox or low-risk mailbox where possible.
Confirm the Microsoft 365 connection is active for the user running the workflow.
Confirm Outlook Mail & Calendar was included when the Microsoft 365 connection was created.
Confirm the selected model supports tool calling. If the Microsoft 365 tool is not being used, select it explicitly instead of relying only on automatic tool selection.
Review the workflow run history to verify which step read the messages, which step classified them, and whether the draft step ran.
Do not automate sending replies. Keep the first version to summaries, exception logs, and Outlook drafts until the process has been tested with real examples.
Troubleshooting
Microsoft 365 is connected, but no messages appear.
Check that the connected Microsoft account is the mailbox you expect. A Global Admin or MSP admin login may not be the same mailbox the user wants to triage.
Confirm the user can see the same messages directly in Outlook.
Use a narrower search, known sender, or smaller message count to test whether the workflow can retrieve any messages.
The Microsoft 365 tool is not available in the workflow.
Reconnect Microsoft 365 and include Outlook Mail & Calendar during setup.
Ask a Microsoft Global Admin to approve the app if Microsoft shows an admin approval message.
Check the tool selector and selected model. Some models or configurations may not use tools unless tool selection is enabled.
The workflow cannot apply categories or update messages.
Use only the Outlook actions visible in your Hatz tool selector. If category or message-update actions are not available, use the workflow output as a triage report and have the user apply categories manually in Outlook.
Draft replies are not created.
Confirm the prompt asks for a draft, not a sent reply.
Confirm the connected mailbox has permission to create drafts.
Test with one known recipient before using the workflow on a larger mailbox sample.
Support-safe limitations
Outlook triage quality depends on the messages the connected Microsoft user can access and the instructions provided in the workflow.
Hatz should not be used to send customer-facing replies automatically from an untested triage workflow.
Classification is AI-generated and should include a human review path for urgent, ambiguous, regulated, or customer-sensitive messages.
Shared mailbox, delegated mailbox, retention, and conditional access behavior may depend on your Microsoft tenant configuration. If a mailbox is visible in Outlook but not available through Hatz, contact Hatz Support with the user, mailbox type, tool selected, and the workflow run details.