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Tell a customer about a backorder and give two reply-to-choose options

  • For Small business owners
  • You practice Setting limits and rules
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Beginner

About this exercise

Write the backorder notice to Jo. First line exactly "Hi Jo,". Give the new ship date and say the price is held. End with two option lines exactly "Reply 1 to keep your order." and "Reply 2 to cancel for a full refund." Last line exactly "Mia, Orders". Plain text, under 80 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Naming the supplier. A teammate suggests blaming Northwood Timber. Try: Add: "Do not name the supplier."
  • Missing the price hold. The AI gives the date only. Try: Say: "The $340 price is held."
  • Wrong option lines. The AI paraphrases the reply options. Try: Give both option lines exactly.
  • 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. AI is bad at counting and usually runs long, so a vague "keep it short" lands well over the limit. Try: Cap each part instead of the total, for example "each line under 15 words".

What a strong prompt includes

  • Asks for plain text
  • Sets a length limit
  • Names the new date
  • Gives the option lines

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