Library › Writing AI › Office and admin

Write a calm, firm email about a wrong vendor invoice

Practice: Getting the tone right. About 5 minutes.

About this exercise

Your office ordered 40 chairs from Brightline Office Supply, received 32, and was billed for 40. Write to their rep, Helen Park, as yourself (Sam Rivera, Office Manager). Open with the ask: a corrected invoice for the 32 chairs by Nov 14. Say you're holding payment until it arrives, without threatening to stop working with them. Stay calm and firm with no apologies or insults, include the PO and invoice numbers, and keep it under 90 words of plain text.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each part instead: "At most 5 sentences, each under 15 words."
  • Letting the ask drift to the end. The AI opens with context and pleasantries, so the request lands in the last paragraph. Try: Add: "First sentence after the greeting: ask for a corrected invoice for 32 chairs by Nov 14."
  • Not saying what happens next. The AI doesn't know you're holding payment, so the email has no teeth, or it borrows a coworker's threat. Try: Add: "Say we're holding payment until the corrected invoice arrives. No threats to cancel."
  • Copying the angry tone or the rumor. The AI picks up the coworker's anger and the 'late 5 times' claim, which the delivery log shows is wrong. Try: Add: "Calm and firm, no apologies. Use only facts from the invoice, receipt and log."
  • Forgetting the format. AI adds bold labels or placeholders like [Your Name] that you then have to fix. Try: Add: "Plain text, signed Sam Rivera, Office Manager."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Puts the ask first
  • Sets a deadline
  • Says payment is on hold
  • Sets the tone
  • Sets a word limit

Practice this now ↑

Related exercises