Triage direct deposit change requests by policy

About this exercise

Payroll got 4 direct deposit change requests this week. Label each per policy as 'Process' or 'Hold - verify' with the reason, as exactly 4 numbered lines like '1. Name - Hold - verify - reason'. Plain text, under 120 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Trusting the work address. The AI processes Ben's request because it came from his real email. Try: Say: "Any request by email, phone or chat is Hold - verify, even from a work address."
• Missing the payday rule. The AI processes Carla without noticing the 3-day sign-off rule. Try: Add: "Payday is Fri Nov 14. Note any change within 3 days."
• No fixed labels. The AI writes 'probably fine' or 'be careful'. Try: Give the labels: "Process or Hold - verify, with the reason."
• Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 120 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Ask for less than the limit and cap each line: "each line under 15 words, under 80 words total."
• Letting markdown in. AI adds bold and headings by default, and in the payroll log they show up as stray symbols. Try: Add: "Plain text only, no bold, no headings."

What a strong prompt includes

• Gives the labels
• Uses the policy
• Mentions the payday rule
• Says exactly how many
• Asks for plain text

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