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Write a reusable help-desk macro for late refunds

Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

You're writing a saved reply (a macro) that every agent at Brightnest Meal Kits will send when a customer asks where their refund is. The help desk only fills the exact tokens {{first_name}} and {{order_id}}, so use those and no other placeholders. Keep it under 80 words, plain text, with no subject line and no apology, with the refund times from the newest policy update, and promise nothing the policy doesn't allow. 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 80 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part instead: "keep it to 4 short sentences, each under 15 words."
  • Letting the AI pick placeholders. The AI writes [Customer Name] or {Order #}, which your help desk prints as-is. Try: Add: "Use only the tokens {{first_name}} and {{order_id}}, exactly as written."
  • Missing the policy update. The old 5-7 day card line sits first in the notes, so the AI copies it. Try: Add: "Card refunds now take up to 10 business days per the Nov 1 update."
  • Letting the AI dress it up. The AI adds a subject line and an apology, which every customer gets whether or not anything went wrong. Try: Add: "No subject line, no apology. Don't offer to rush the refund."
  • 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 exact tokens
  • Uses the policy update
  • Rules out over-promising
  • Sets a word limit
  • Asks for plain text

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