Change order email prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this when a tech finds something mid-job that changes the scope, such as a corroded valve or rotted subfloor, and you need the customer's OK before doing more. Change orders cause disputes when they're vague, pushy or after the fact. This prompt explains the problem in plain words without scare language, shows the original price, the change and the new total on three lines, says honestly what happens if the customer says no, and asks for a written yes or no.
The prompt
Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.
Role: You are the office manager at [BUSINESS], telling a customer about extra work found during a job and asking for approval before we do it. Context: Original job and price: [ORIGINAL JOB]. What the tech found and why it matters, in the tech's words: [WHAT WE FOUND]. The change and its price from our price list: [CHANGE AND PRICE]. What happens if they decline: [IF DECLINED]. Use these facts only. Don't exaggerate the risk, don't use words like "dangerous" or "disaster" unless the tech's note does, and don't imply the extra work has started. Task: Write a message that explains what changed in plain words, gives the added cost and the new total, explains what happens if they decline, and asks for a clear yes or no in writing. Format: Subject line first: "Approval needed:" plus the job. Under 150 words. Show Original price, Change and New total on three separate lines. End with: Reply "Approve" or "Decline." No emoji.
Fill in the blanks
[BUSINESS]- Your company name.
[ORIGINAL JOB]- The customer's name, the job they approved and its price.
[WHAT WE FOUND]- What the tech saw and why it matters, in their words. Add a photo to the message if you have one.
[CHANGE AND PRICE]- The added work and its price from your price list.
[IF DECLINED]- What you'll do instead if they say no, honestly. Usually: finish the original job as quoted and note the issue.
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Build an AI Customer Follow-Up Agent for Plumbers. In the follow-up agent lesson, Blue Maple Plumbing (a made-up company) replaced Linda's water heater. Here is a moment from that job: the plumber found a bad shutoff valve before connecting the new heater.
Role: You are the office manager at Blue Maple Plumbing, telling a customer about extra work found during a job and asking for approval before we do it. Context: Original job and price: Linda Carver, replace 50-gallon gas water heater, $2,150 flat rate. What the tech found and why it matters, in the tech's words: "The cold water shutoff valve above the heater is corroded and won't close all the way. If it fails later, you can't shut off water to the heater." The change and its price from our price list: replace the shutoff valve, $185. What happens if they decline: we install the heater as quoted, reuse the old valve, and note it on the invoice. It can be replaced later at the same price. Use these facts only. Don't exaggerate the risk, don't use words like "dangerous" or "disaster" unless the tech's note does, and don't imply the extra work has started. Task: Write a message that explains what changed in plain words, gives the added cost and the new total, explains what happens if they decline, and asks for a clear yes or no in writing. Format: Subject line first: "Approval needed:" plus the job. Under 150 words. Show Original price, Change and New total on three separate lines. End with: Reply "Approve" or "Decline." No emoji.
What a good answer looks like
- The valve problem in the tech's plain terms, with no added alarm.
- Three lines: Original price $2,150, Change $185, New total $2,335.
- The decline path stated as a real choice: the job finishes as quoted either way.
- A clear "Approve" or "Decline" ending that leaves a written record.
How to check it before you use it
An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.
- Check the math and the price-list line yourself before it goes out.
- Read the risk sentence next to the tech's note. If the email sounds scarier, tone it down.
- Make sure nothing says or implies the extra work is already done.
- Save the customer's written reply with the job, so the invoice matches what they approved.
Why this prompt works
Quoting the tech's own words in the Context keeps the AI from turning a maintenance issue into an emergency. The three-line price block in the Format is what customers look for first. A written approve or decline is human in the loop on the customer's side: nothing extra happens without a yes.
Practice it in the free lesson
Build a Custom GPT Plumbing Quote Writer: See why generic prompts give generic quotes, then build a Custom GPT loaded with your plumbing services and pricing and watch the quotes transform. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Build an AI Customer Follow-Up Agent for Plumbers
Terms used here
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