Reviewed: October 12, 2026 · Format: reusable workflow template
A prompt cannot make an incomplete policy or inaccurate source material reliable. It can, however, make a drafting task more consistent by telling the assistant what job to do, what facts it may use, what it must not invent, and what a person must check.
The customer-reply prompt
Task: Draft a reply to the customer message below. Goal: Help the customer with [specific outcome]. Approved facts and policy: [paste only current, approved information]. Customer message: [remove details that are not needed for this task]. Instructions: - Use a [warm / concise / formal] tone. - Answer only from the approved facts and policy above. - Do not invent a price, promise, deadline, refund, or exception. - If a needed fact is missing or the policy is unclear, list the question instead of guessing. - Do not make a final decision about a complaint, refund, safety issue, or legal matter. - Do not include personal or confidential information that is not needed. Output: 1. Draft reply (under [word limit] words). 2. Facts that need checking. 3. Any question that should be escalated to a person. Do not send the reply. A team member must review and approve it.
How to adapt it
- Replace the brackets with a clear service outcome and a real word limit.
- Provide the current, approved policy excerpt rather than asking the assistant to recall your business rules.
- Remove names, account numbers, addresses, or order details unless they are necessary and the selected account is approved for that data.
- Give staff an escalation route for refunds, complaints, safety concerns, and unusual requests.
- Save successful prompts with a version date and owner, then review them when policies change.
Test before using it with customers
Try the prompt on a few representative examples, including one with missing information and one with an unusual request. Check whether it follows the source, asks instead of guessing, and flags the right cases. Record common corrections and improve the instructions. Keep the approval step; a polished draft can still be wrong.
This is a general drafting aid, not legal or customer-service policy. Review the data terms and settings for the specific AI product and account before entering business information.