The Four Trust Levels
Observer
What the AI does: Reads, categorizes, and summarizes your messages. Produces your Daily Briefing. What the AI does not do: Take any action. No drafts, no responses, no archiving. Best for: New users getting comfortable with Outband; contacts where you always want to handle communication personally. Available on: All plans (including Starter/free).Drafter
What the AI does: Everything in Observer, plus generates draft responses for you to review. What you do: Review each draft, edit if needed, then approve or reject before anything is sent. Best for: Users who want AI assistance but want to review every message before it goes out. Available on: Professional ($60/month) and above.Auto+Review
What the AI does: Handles routine messages automatically (acknowledges receipt, answers simple questions, files FYI items). Presents a daily digest of what it handled. What you do: Review the daily digest. Override any actions you disagree with. Best for: Users with high email volume who want to focus on strategic communication while routine items are handled automatically. Available on: Professional ($60/month) and above.In Auto+Review mode, VIP contacts and high-sensitivity items are never auto-handled. They always require your personal review.
Full Delegation
What the AI does: Handles all communication autonomously. Only surfaces items for escalation — unusual situations, low-confidence decisions, or topics you have flagged as requiring personal attention. What you do: Review escalated items only. Everything else is handled. Best for: Executives who want to focus on high-level decisions and trust the AI to handle day-to-day communication. Available on: Executive ($200/month).How Trust Affects Your Experience
| Aspect | Observer | Drafter | Auto+Review | Full Delegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Briefing | All items shown | All items shown, drafts attached | Urgent items + digest of auto-handled | Escalated items only |
| Drafts | None | Generated for review | Generated for complex items; routine auto-sent | Generated and sent |
| Notifications | All messages | All messages + draft-ready alerts | Urgent + digest summary | Escalations only |
| Your daily time | ~30 min reviewing briefing | ~20 min reviewing + approving drafts | ~10 min reviewing digest | ~5 min reviewing escalations |
Trust Is Per-Contact
Trust is not all-or-nothing. You can set different trust levels for different contacts:- Your team — Auto+Review (routine items handled, important decisions surface)
- Your CEO — Observer (always review personally)
- Newsletter senders — Auto+Review or Full Delegation (auto-archive or unsubscribe)
- Key clients — Drafter (AI drafts, you review)
Safety Mechanisms
Outband includes several safety mechanisms to prevent problems:- VIP contacts are never auto-handled — Even at Full Delegation, VIP contacts require your review
- Trust auto-downgrades on errors — If Outband makes mistakes, it automatically reduces its trust level for that contact
- Sensitivity detection — Topics flagged as sensitive (legal, financial, personal) always escalate regardless of trust level
- Confidence thresholds — Outband only acts autonomously when it has high confidence in its decision. Low-confidence items are escalated for your review.
- Full audit trail — Every action Outband takes is logged and reviewable
Changing Trust Levels
You can change trust levels at any time:- Upgrading: Takes effect immediately. Outband begins processing at the new trust level.
- Downgrading: Takes effect immediately. Any pending auto-actions are paused for your review.
- Per-contact changes: Override the global level for specific contacts from their Contact Model page.