Lesson 263 · 2 min
Replying to a difficult customer
When a customer message makes your blood boil, let AI draft a calm reply while you take a breath.
A customer writes in capital letters that the shoes arrived late and the box was crushed. Your first reply in your head is not the one you should send. This is a good moment to hand the first draft to a chatbot.
Tell it the facts: what the customer said, what really happened, and what you are willing to do, such as an exchange, a 10% discount on the next order, or a refund. Ask for a short, polite reply that admits what went wrong and offers that one fix.
Be clear about your limits. If you do not say what you can offer, the chatbot may promise a full refund or free shipping that you never agreed to.
Read the draft out loud before sending. Cut anything that sounds stiff or copied, add the customer's order details yourself, and keep the conversation in private messages instead of public comments.
Do it now
Draft a calm reply
- 1. Take a real or recent difficult message and remove the customer's name and phone number.
- 2. Fill in the prompt below with the facts and what you can offer.
- 3. Edit the draft so it sounds like you, then send it privately.
I run a [TYPE OF SHOP]. A customer sent this angry message: [PASTE, NO NAMES]. What really happened: [FACTS]. What I can offer: [ONE FIX]. Write a short, polite reply in Vietnamese that says sorry for what went wrong, offers only that fix, and does not promise anything else. Keep it under 80 words.
Quick check
Keep going
Next →Simple invoices and quotesWords from this lesson
- Role prompting
- Starting a prompt by telling the AI who to act as, such as an experienced editor, to shape tone and focus.
- Sycophancy
- An AI's tendency to agree with you or flatter your ideas instead of telling you where you are wrong.