What each part of the prompt does
- Restating the problem
- One sentence that shows the complaint was read lowers the temperature more than a long apology. It also catches misunderstandings before you offer the wrong fix.
- Our facts, not theirs
- [FACTS] comes from your systems, not the complaint. Explaining only what you know to be true avoids admitting to things that did not happen or blaming the customer for things that did.
- Remedy and limits as inputs
- Naming what you can and cannot offer before writing stops the model from improvising refunds or credits. Step 5 turns a refusal into a clear no plus the closest alternative.
- Two lengths
- Complaints arrive by email, chat and public comments. A 150-word and a 50-word version from the same facts keep your answer consistent wherever the customer posted.
Variations to try
Same idea, one thing changed.
Public review response Write a public reply to the negative review below that answers the customer and shows future readers how we handle problems. Inputs: - Customer message: [MESSAGE] - Customer name: [NAME] - What actually happened, from our side: [FACTS] - What we can offer: [REMEDY] - What we cannot offer: [LIMITS] - Our brand voice: [VOICE] Steps: 1. Thank the customer by name and restate the problem in one sentence, so they know it was read. 2. Apologise once, for the specific thing that went wrong. 3. Explain what happened in plain words, using only the facts from our side. 4. Say exactly what we will do and by when, based on what we can offer. 5. If they asked for something we cannot offer, say no clearly and offer the closest thing we can do. 6. Close with how to reach a person if the fix does not work. Format: - A public reply under 90 words with no order numbers or personal details. - A private message under 120 words with the details of the fix. Quality check: Confirm the reply promises nothing beyond what we can offer and contains no blame on the customer.
Escalated, manager tone Write a reply to the customer complaint below that fixes the problem and keeps the customer. Inputs: - Customer message: [MESSAGE] - Customer name: [NAME] - What actually happened, from our side: [FACTS] - What we can offer: [REMEDY] - What we cannot offer: [LIMITS] - Our brand voice: [VOICE], written by a team lead taking over the case Steps: 1. Introduce yourself as the person now handling the case, then restate the problem in one sentence, so they know it was read. 2. Apologise once, for the specific thing that went wrong. 3. Explain what happened in plain words, using only the facts from our side. 4. Say exactly what we will do and by when, based on what we can offer. 5. If they asked for something we cannot offer, say no clearly and offer the closest thing we can do. 6. Close with how to reach a person if the fix does not work. Format: - An email reply under 150 words. - A shorter version under 50 words for chat or a public social reply. Quality check: Confirm the reply promises nothing beyond what we can offer and contains no blame on the customer.
If the result isn't right
- Fill [FACTS] from the order or ticket history before writing; most bad replies come from answering the complaint's version of events.
- If [LIMITS] is empty, write "none" so the model knows it may grant what the customer asked for.
- Save good outputs as templates per complaint type (late delivery, damaged item, billing) and run the prompt only for new kinds.