Adaptable starting points.
REPLYING TO AN ENQUIRY
"Customer asks: [paste]. My business: [what you do]. Relevant facts: [policy, availability, price]. Write a reply under 120 words. Plain and warm. Do not commit to any timescale I have not given you."
CHASING AN INVOICE
"Write a payment reminder. Invoice [number] for [amount] was due [date]. This customer is usually reliable. Businesslike, not apologetic, not aggressive. Under 80 words."
DECLINING WORK
"I need to decline [request] from [who]. Reason: [why]. I want to keep the relationship. Brief, no over-explaining."
APOLOGISING FOR A PROBLEM
"Something went wrong: [what]. I am going to [what you will do]. Write an apology that states the problem early, takes responsibility, and says what happens next. No excessive apology."
CONFIRMING AN ARRANGEMENT
"Here are my notes from a conversation: [paste]. Write a short email confirming what was agreed and the next steps with dates."
THE COMMON CONSTRAINT
Always add: do not commit to anything I have not stated.
