Ask an employee for a missing receipt without accusing them

About this exercise

You're the expense reviewer. Write a prompt for a plain-text message of under 60 words to one employee about a missing receipt. Start with "Hi Tomas," and end with a last line "Kelsey, Accounts Payable". It names the expense, the amount and the deadline, says what to send, and says only that item is on hold. The tone is neutral and friendly. Never imply the employee did anything wrong.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Holding the whole report. The AI says the whole report is delayed. Try: Say: "Only the $86.40 dinner is on hold; the rest is approved."
• Accepting a card statement. The AI says a card statement is fine, or leaves out Form MR-1. Try: Add: "Itemized receipt, or Form MR-1 if lost. A card statement is not enough."
• Vague about which expense. The AI says 'a receipt' without the date, vendor and amount or deadline. Try: Say: "Name the expense, amount and the Nov 9 deadline."
• Stern policy tone. The AI quotes policy 4.2 and warns about compliance. Try: Add: "Friendly and neutral; don't imply he did anything wrong."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.

What a strong prompt includes

• Names the reader
• Includes details
• Lists what to send
• Sets tone
• Sets length

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