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Summarize a long ticket thread for the CSM taking over

  • For Customer support teams
  • You practice Saying who it's for
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

Summarize the thread for the CSM in four lines starting "Issue:", "Tried:", "Where it stands:" and "In their words:". "In their words:" must be one exact quote copied from the customer's messages, in quotation marks. Use only the thread. Plain text, under 85 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Wrong shape. The AI writes a paragraph or adds extra labels. Try: Say: "Exactly four lines starting Issue:, Tried:, Where it stands:, In their words:."
  • Paraphrasing the quote. The AI rewrites the customer's words. Try: Say: "Copy one customer quote exactly, in quotation marks."
  • Promising a fix. The AI says it will be fixed before Friday. Try: Say: "No fix dates; state where it stands."
  • Dropping the numbers. The AI writes "partly fixed". Try: Say: "Say how many of 11 stores export and how many are missing."
  • Getting markdown back. AI adds bold and headings by default, which show up as stray symbols where this is pasted. Try: Say "plain text, no bold, no headings, no asterisks".
  • Trusting the AI to count words. The AI runs long and cannot count its own words. Try: Cap each part ("each line under 12 words") and add "under N words in total".

What a strong prompt includes

  • Names the four labels
  • Asks for an exact quote
  • Keeps to the thread
  • Names the reader
  • Asks for plain text
  • Sets a word cap

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