Reconcile a vendor statement and reply without promising payment

About this exercise

A vendor's statement doesn't match your AP ledger. Write a prompt for a plain-text email of under 140 words to the vendor's AR contact that shows both balances and the difference. It needs three lines starting "Statement balance:", "Our balance:" and "Difference:", with the math for the difference. Ask for the support you need. Don't promise payment on anything not yet approved here.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Agreeing to pay the statement. The AI accepts the vendor's $2,000 and promises to pay it. Try: Add: "Don't promise to pay invoice 1003 or give a date."
• Missing the PO mismatch. The AI asks for documents but never mentions the $650 vs $800 gap. Try: Say: "Mention our PO and receiving records show $650, not $800."
• No difference math. The AI says 'a small difference exists' without the line. Try: Ask for three lines: Statement balance, Our balance, Difference with the math, in plain text with no bold.
• Guessing what the credit memo is. The AI repeats Dev's guess about the damaged pallet as fact. Try: Add: "Don't say what CM-7 is for. Ask for a copy."
• 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
• Asks for the three labeled lines
• Asks for support documents
• Blocks promises
• Sets length and format

Practice this now ↑

Related exercises

• Accept a job offer and confirm the exact terms (Writing AI · Job seekers)
• Accrue goods received but not invoiced at PO price (Finance AI · Accountants)
• Age open requisitions as of today and flag the old ones (Finance AI · FP&A and financial analysts)
• Age reconciling items and escalate those over 60 days (Finance AI · Accountants)
• Allocate shared rent by headcount using the right roster (Finance AI · Accountants)