# Complaint reply four-part prompt: free ChatGPT template > A four-part prompt for your first AI chat: a role, the context, the task and the format, to reply to an unhappy customer and flag what needs a decision. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/complaint-email-first-chat-prompt · Updated 2026-10-11 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) [Customer emails](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#job-customer-emails) · [Operations](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-operations) · Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot Updated October 11, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) Use this when an unhappy customer writes in and you want a calm, accurate draft rather than a rushed one. It follows the four parts that make a first prompt work: a role, the context, a task and a format. You attach or paste the customer's email, and the prompt asks the AI to flag anything that needs your decision, such as a refund, instead of promising it. ## 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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): Role, Context, Task and Format. Copy prompt ```text Role: You are the office manager at [BUSINESS], and you write warm, professional customer emails. Context: A customer named [CUSTOMER] has written the attached email about [PROBLEM]. Our policy: [POLICY]. What we can do and when: [WHAT WE CAN DO]. Task: Write a reply that acknowledges the problem, explains what we will do and when, and does not promise anything outside what I listed. Also list the things I should check or decide before sending, including any request in the email that I have not approved, such as a refund. Format: A subject line, then an email of under [WORD LIMIT] words. Then a short checklist titled "Before you send". ``` ## Fill in the blanks **`[BUSINESS]`** Your business name. **`[CUSTOMER]`** The customer's name. **`[PROBLEM]`** What went wrong, in a few words. **`[POLICY]`** The warranty or policy that applies. **`[WHAT WE CAN DO]`** The fix you can offer and the date it can happen. **`[WORD LIMIT]`** A number, such as 150. ## Example, filled in **A made-up example** from the free lesson [Your First Chat with Claude: Models, Files and a Great First Prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-first-chat-tutorial). In the Claude first chat lesson, you run the office at Bright Path Landscaping, a made-up business, and a customer named Linda Carver has emailed about her new patio. The email is attached as a PDF. Copy example ```text Role: You are the office manager at Bright Path Landscaping, and you write warm, professional customer emails. Context: A customer named Linda Carver has written the attached email about her new patio. Our policy: the patio work is covered by our warranty. What we can do and when: send a crew to look at it next week. Task: Write a reply that acknowledges the problem, explains what we will do and when, and does not promise anything outside what I listed. Also list the things I should check or decide before sending, including any request in the email that I have not approved, such as a refund. Format: A subject line, then an email of under 150 words. Then a short checklist titled "Before you send". ``` ## What a good answer looks like - The reply says a crew will come next week and promises nothing else. - The refund request is flagged in Before you send, not answered. - The email is under 150 words, warm and has a subject line. ## 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](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails): check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out. - Read the reply before you use it. The lesson says always read it. - Decide the refund question yourself, then use a follow-up to add the answer. - Ask for a shorter version or two options to pick from. - Do not paste customer details into an account your company has not approved. ## Practice it in the free lesson **[Your First Chat with Claude: Models, Files and a Great First Prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-first-chat-tutorial)**: Pick a model, attach a customer's complaint email with the + menu, write a four-part prompt, read Claude's reply, ask a follow-up, then pin and rename the chat. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Claude, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/claude-first-chat) Also useful: [Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format) ## Terms used here [Role, Context, Task, Format](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/role-context-task-format) · [Claude model picker](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/claude-model-picker) · [Iterative prompting](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/iterative-prompting) ## Related prompts - [Customer complaint reply prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/customer-complaint-reply-prompt): A four-part ChatGPT prompt for answering an upset customer: one real apology, every complaint answered, and only the fixes you… - [Refund request reply prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/refund-request-reply-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt for answering a refund request with your real decision: what you will refund, what you won't and why, the exact… - [Fix reply tone prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/fix-reply-tone-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt that fixes the tone of a draft (too stiff, too defensive, too long) while keeping every fact, number and "we… ## More customer emails prompts - [Consultation booking confirmation prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/consultation-booking-confirmation-prompt): Confirm a booked consultation in one clear email: date, time and how to join, what to bring, what it costs, and how to… - [Coverage question reply prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/coverage-question-reply-prompt): Answer a client's "am I covered?" email honestly: what the declarations page lists, who decides, and how to start a claim. It… - [Customer welcome email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/customer-welcome-email-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt for a new-customer welcome email: what they signed up for, first steps in order, how to reach a person, and no… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)