An angry message lands at 9pm and your first instinct is to defend yourself. That reply, written in the heat of the moment, usually makes it worse. Handled well, a complaint is a chance to keep a customer for years; people remember how you fixed a problem more than the problem itself.
This prompt writes a calm first draft so you can respond quickly without responding emotionally.
How to use it
- Paste the customer's message and the facts as you know them, including what you got wrong.
- Choose what you can offer, if anything: a call, a revisit, a partial credit.
- Read the draft out loud before sending. If it sounds defensive, ask the AI to soften it.
complaint-reply.txt
Draft a reply to this customer complaint. Business: [name], [what we do] Customer message: [paste] The facts as we know them (including what we got wrong): [details] What we can offer: [e.g. a call today, a revisit this week, a partial credit, nothing beyond an apology] Channel: [email / text / review reply] Voice: [e.g. warm, professional] Write: 1. The reply (email under 150 words, or text under 400 characters): thank them, acknowledge the specific issue, take responsibility for our part, state the next step and timing, offer a call. 2. A shorter version if they are very upset. 3. Notes for me: anything in their message I should check before replying, and anything I should NOT say. Rules: never blame the customer or staff, never argue, never promise more than I listed, no admission of legal liability. Canadian English.
The shape of a good reply
- Thank them for telling you, sincerely.
- Acknowledge the specific problem in their words.
- Take responsibility for what is yours, without blaming staff or the customer.
- Say what happens next and when.
- Move it to a phone call for anything complicated.
For complaints involving injury, property damage, legal threats or insurance, keep the reply short, avoid admitting liability in writing, and speak to your insurer or lawyer first.