IT and maintenance request reply prompt: free ChatGPT template
Updated · By Robert Breen
Use this for the replies after the first confirmation, when the person who reported a dead scanner or a stuck door needs to know what's happening. Internal replies tend to be either silence or "we're on it." This prompt writes a short status note from your ticket details: where it stands, what to do meanwhile and when they'll hear next. For sorting new requests, use the maintenance request triage prompt instead.
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 writing for the [TEAM] team at [BUSINESS], replying to a coworker about a request they submitted. Context: Their request: [REQUEST]. Where it stands now: [STATUS]. Workaround, if any: [WORKAROUND]. When they'll hear from us next: [NEXT UPDATE]. Don't promise a fix time unless it's in the status, and don't blame anyone. Task: Write a short reply that names their request, says where it stands in one or two sentences, gives the workaround, and says when they'll hear next. If we need something from them, ask for it as one clear question. Format: Subject line first, starting with the request in a few words. Body under 90 words, friendly and direct, like a coworker. No apology paragraph, no emoji.
Fill in the blanks
[TEAM]- Who is handling it: Facilities, IT, Equipment.
[BUSINESS]- Your business name.
[REQUEST]- What was reported, where, by whom and its priority.
[STATUS]- The facts so far: who looked, what they found, what's ordered. Only dates you actually have.
[WORKAROUND]- What they can do meanwhile, including any safety instruction, word for word.
[NEXT UPDATE]- A day and time for the next update, even if the news is "no news".
Example, filled in
A made-up example from the free lesson Build an AI Maintenance and IT Request Form. Ridgeline Supply Co. is the made-up warehouse business in the maintenance and IT request form lesson. A stuck dock door was marked Urgent for Facilities. The repair technician came, but a part is on order.
Role: You are writing for the Facilities team at Ridgeline Supply Co., a small warehouse business, replying to a coworker about a request they submitted. Context: Their request: the bay 2 dock door is stuck half open, reported Tuesday morning by Luis in receiving, marked Urgent. Where it stands now: the repair technician came Tuesday afternoon and found a broken spring; the part is ordered and the supplier says it ships Thursday, with no install date yet. Workaround, if any: use bay 3 for all receiving; the bay 2 door is chained and must not be forced. When they'll hear from us next: Thursday by noon. Don't promise a fix time unless it's in the status, and don't blame anyone. Task: Write a short reply that names their request, says where it stands in one or two sentences, gives the workaround, and says when they'll hear next. If we need something from them, ask for it as one clear question. Format: Subject line first, starting with the request in a few words. Body under 90 words, friendly and direct, like a coworker. No apology paragraph, no emoji.
What a good answer looks like
- A subject like "Bay 2 dock door: part ordered, use bay 3" that says it all from the inbox.
- No fix date, because there isn't one. Ships Thursday is not fixed Thursday.
- The safety line kept plain: the door is chained, don't force it.
- A next update with a day and a time: Thursday by noon.
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.
- Read the status line against the email. "Ships Thursday" must not turn into "fixed by Thursday".
- Keep safety instructions word for word from the team that gave them.
- If the request came through a form, reply in the same thread as the confirmation so the history stays together.
- Leave passwords and system details out of IT replies; send those through your usual secure channel.
Why this prompt works
Splitting status, workaround and next update gives the reply a shape people can scan, and the no-promise rule stops a friendly tone from turning into a deadline nobody agreed to.
Practice it in the free lesson
Build an AI Maintenance and IT Request Form: Build an internal maintenance and IT request form in Lovable for Ridgeline Supply Co. and connect it to n8n — the AI agent sets the priority, assigns a team, saves the request to Google Sheets and emails a confirmation. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Lovable and n8n, and nothing touches your real accounts.
Also useful: Build an AI Vendor Follow-Up Agent in n8n
Terms used here
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