---
title: "Time saved"
canonical: https://replypen.com/glossary/time-saved
description: "Time saved is an estimate of the writing time a team did not spend because replies were drafted for them."
question: "How is time saved measured for AI email drafting?"
author: "ReplyPen team"
published: 2026-09-30
operator: ProBackup BV (Hasselt, Belgium)
---

# How is time saved measured for AI email drafting?

Time saved is an estimate of the writing time a team did not spend because replies were drafted for them. It is usually calculated from the number of drafts used and an assumed time per reply, so it is only as reliable as that assumption, and it ignores the time spent checking drafts.

A typical formula: drafts sent unchanged times the minutes a reply would take to write, plus a
smaller credit for drafts that were edited. Tools choose their own minutes per reply, so compare
the assumption before comparing the number.

## Why it matters

Time is the reason to use a drafting tool at all, so the estimate is useful as a trend. As a precise
figure it is weak: a two-line reply and a careful complaint answer do not take the same time, and
reading and checking a draft is work too. A more honest view combines the estimate with the
[sent-unchanged rate](https://replypen.com/glossary/sent-unchanged-rate.md), which shows how often checking took only a
glance.

You can also measure it directly for a week: note how long the inbox takes with and without drafts
for the same kind of email.

## An example

A tool reports several hours saved last month, based on four minutes per reply. The team checks: for
order questions that is about right, for complaints it is too generous, because they still rewrite
those.

## Related

- [Sent-unchanged rate](https://replypen.com/glossary/sent-unchanged-rate.md): The sent-unchanged rate is the share of AI-written drafts sent to customers exactly as written, without a single edit.
- [Edit rate](https://replypen.com/glossary/edit-rate.md): Edit rate is the share of AI-written drafts that a person changed before sending.
- [First response time](https://replypen.com/glossary/first-response-time.md): First response time is how long a customer waits between sending an email and getting the first reply from a person at your business.