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Calm an angry customer about a double charge

Practice: Getting the tone right. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

An angry customer, Glenn Ortiz, was charged twice for his meal kit and is demanding a free month. Reply in under 100 words, plain text. Name his exact problem in the first sentence, skip stock phrases like "I understand your frustration" or "we apologize for any inconvenience", say what was already done using the agent notes, and offer only what agents are allowed to offer. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 100 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part instead: "each sentence under 15 words, 5 sentences total."
  • Opening with a stock apology. The AI starts with "I'm so sorry for any inconvenience," which reads as a script to an angry customer. Try: Add: "First sentence names his exact problem: charged $64.99 twice on Oct 3."
  • Caving to the demand. To calm him down, the AI agrees to the free month or a same-day refund. Try: Add: "Offer only the $15 credit. No free month. Refund takes 3-5 business days."
  • Using script phrases. Lines like "I understand your frustration" are the AI's defaults and make people angrier. Try: Add: "No stock phrases like 'I understand your frustration' or 'we apologize for any inconvenience'."
  • Ignoring where it will be pasted. AI loves bold and headings, which show up as stray ** and # symbols in the help desk reply box. Try: Name the place and the format: "For the help desk reply box. Plain text, no bold or headings."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Names the problem first
  • Limits what you offer
  • Bans stock phrases
  • Sets a word limit
  • Asks for plain text

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