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Reply to an angry customer without sounding like a bot

Paste the complaint and what really happened, and get a reply that deals with the problem in the first line, says what happens next and when, and skips the canned apology.

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Output
Text
Written with
Claude Fable 5.1
Added

The prompt

A customer is angry. Help me write the reply.

Their message:
<message>
[PASTE IT]
</message>

What actually happened, honestly: [e.g. we shipped the wrong size, our fault. Or: their bank declined the card, not us]
What I can offer: [e.g. a replacement sent today, a refund, a credit, or nothing beyond fixing it]
What I can't do: [e.g. refund the delivery charge, expedite internationally]
How our brand sounds: [e.g. friendly and direct, formal]

Write it like this:
- The first sentence deals with their actual problem. No "Thank you for reaching out" and no "We apologise for any inconvenience".
- If it's our fault, say so in plain words. If it isn't, explain what happened without blaming them.
- Say exactly what happens next and when. A day of the week beats "as soon as possible".
- If they asked for something I can't do, say no clearly and offer the nearest thing I can.
- Under 150 words. Sign off with my first name: [NAME].

Then give me one line on what we should change internally so this doesn't happen again, if anything.
  • customer-support
  • email
  • tone

What it generates

Example

Hi Dana,

You ordered a medium and we sent you a large. That's on us, and I'm sorry you had to chase it.

A medium is going out today by tracked post and should be with you by Thursday. You'll get the tracking number by email this afternoon. Keep the large, there's no need to send it back.

I can't refund the original delivery charge, but I've added a 15% credit to your account for your next order, which more than covers it.

If Thursday comes and there's no parcel, reply to this email and I'll sort it the same day.

Sam

Internally: this is the third size mix-up this month on the same product line. Worth checking whether the picking labels for that line show the size clearly enough.

NoteThis is an example. Results change between runs and model versions. Claude Prompts is a fan project and is not affiliated with Anthropic.

Getting the most from this prompt

Skip the opening ritual

"Thank you for reaching out. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused." Every angry customer has read that sentence a hundred times, and it tells them a template is answering. The prompt bans it and makes the first line about their problem. When the reply opens with "You ordered a medium and we sent you a large", the reader knows a person looked.

Whose fault it was

The "what actually happened, honestly" field is the one that decides whether the reply works. If it was your mistake, the reply says so, and that single admission takes most of the heat out. If it wasn't, the reply explains without turning it back on the customer, which is harder to write and exactly what Claude is asked to do. Don't leave the field vague. "Not sure" produces a hedged reply, and hedged replies make angry people angrier.

The offer has to be something you'll do

Fill in what you can and can't offer before you run the prompt, not after. A reply that promises a refund the finance team later blocks is worse than one that says no clearly. The prompt also asks for a date rather than "soon", so pick a date you can meet with room to spare.

The internal note at the end is easy to ignore. Read it anyway. The third complaint about the same thing is usually a process problem wearing a customer's name.

How to use this prompt

  1. [01] Copy

    Copy the prompt

    Use the copy button above. The full text is included, nothing is cut off.

  2. [02] Fill in

    Replace the yellow parts

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  3. [03] Vote

    Run it in Claude and vote

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