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Answer an angry callback without making it worse

Today

It is Saturday and a customer texts that the unit you installed is making the noise again. You are annoyed, they are annoyed, and the reply you want to send is not the one you should send.

With Claude

You paste their message and what actually happened, and get back a calm reply that names the problem, states what the warranty covers, and gives one next step with a time. You check the technical detail and send it.

The prompt

Paste this into claude.ai and replace anything in brackets.

You are helping a [trade] contractor reply to an unhappy customer about a callback or warranty claim. The reply goes out by [text message / email].

The customer's message:
[paste their message here]

What actually happened, from my side:
[what you installed or repaired, when, and what you think is going on now]

What my warranty covers here: [covered under our labor warranty / covered by the manufacturer / not covered because REASON / not sure yet]
What I am willing to do: [send a tech on DATE / walk them through a check by phone / schedule a paid service call]

Write the reply so that it:
1. Names the specific problem they described, in their own words, in the first sentence
2. Does not admit fault or assign blame while the cause is still unknown
3. States plainly what is covered and what is not, using only what I told you
4. Gives one clear next step with a specific day or time window
5. Ends without asking them to be patient and without thanking them for their patience

Rules:
- Match the channel. If it is a text message, keep it short enough to read on a phone without scrolling.
- No corporate apology language and no scripted service phrases.
- Do not promise a repair, a refund, a timeline, or a cause that I did not give you.
- Give me two versions: one for a customer who is merely frustrated, and one for a customer who is threatening a bad review or a license complaint.

What to skip in contracting and home services businesses

  • Pricing the job. Claude does not know your labor burden, your material costs, your local market, or the margin you need to stay in business, and a number that looks reasonable is the most expensive kind of wrong. Keep pricing in your own estimating system and use Claude only for the words around the number.
  • Code compliance, permit requirements, and load or sizing calculations. Adopted code cycles and local amendments vary by jurisdiction, and Claude has no reliable way to know what your building department enforces this year. Verify with your local authority having jurisdiction or the licensed engineer of record. Drafting the list of questions you bring to them is a fair use.
  • Contracts, preliminary notices, and anything with a statutory deadline. Mechanics lien timing and contract terms are state specific, and getting them wrong can cost you the right to collect. Have a construction attorney write those templates once, then reuse them.

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Before you try it

More for contracting and home services businesses

Full guide for contracting and home services businesses