To: Marcus Kim (CIO), Dr. Priya Sharma (Head of Data & Analytics), Tom Walsh (Customer Service Manager)
From: Emma Rodriguez (Managing Director) and David Chen (CFO)
Re: Board approval and capital allocation for the AI Customer-Service Chatbot
Following the 22 January board meeting, we are pleased to confirm that the board has approved $450,000 in funding for the Customer-Service Chatbot initiative. This is the first of the four AI programs to move into delivery. The board's view, which we share, is that this initiative carries the lowest delivery risk and the clearest near-term payback.
What we committed to the board
The business case approved by the board rests on two measurable outcomes. We are now accountable for both.
| Outcome | Baseline (2025) | Target (post-launch) |
|---|---|---|
| Routine queries deflected to self-service | ~0% | 55% of inbound contact |
| Average email response time | 26 hours | Under 4 hours |
| Annualised CS cost avoidance | n/a | $1.1M (run-rate) |
"Routine" means the three query types that dominate our contact volume: order status, returns and refunds, and sizing/fit. Together these account for roughly 68% of the 9,400 monthly contacts handled by Tom's team. Deflecting even half of them frees agents for the genuinely complex cases where human judgement matters.
Timeline and expectations
The board has been told to expect a roughly six-month implementation, with a pilot already in flight and full rollout targeted for the second half of 2026. We have set expectations deliberately: this is an efficiency and service-quality play, not a headcount-reduction exercise. No CS roles are being cut on the back of this funding.
Marcus retains overall accountability for delivery. Priya owns data readiness and grounding. Tom owns the operational handover and agent escalation design. We expect a fortnightly steering update commencing immediately.
Emma Rodriguez, Managing Director
David Chen, Chief Financial Officer