# Scope change reply prompt: free ChatGPT template > Reply when a client asks for extra work: acknowledge it, say what is and isn't covered, and offer clear options without souring the relationship. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/scope-change-reply-prompt · Updated 2026-10-02 · 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) · [Marketing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts#industry-marketing) · Works in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot Updated October 2, 2026 · By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) Use this when a client writes "while you're at it, could you also..." and the thing they want sits outside what you agreed. Saying yes silently erodes your margin. Saying no flatly can sour the account. This prompt drafts the middle path: it thanks them, states plainly what the current agreement covers, and gives them two or three real options, such as adding the work, swapping it for something else or saving it for later. You decide the price and timing. The AI only writes the message. If the agreement spells out how changes are handled, quote that wording and have a lawyer check anything that touches contract terms. **Have a professional review it.** This prompt helps you draft, not decide. AI can get the law wrong and doesn’t know your jurisdiction or your facts, so have a licensed attorney review anything legal before you send or sign 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 a calm, professional account lead writing to a client who has asked for extra work. Context: Our agreement with [CLIENT] covers: [AGREED SCOPE]. Their new request, in their words: [REQUEST]. How our agreement handles changes: [CHANGE TERMS]. What I am willing to offer: [OPTIONS]. Task: Write a reply that does four things: thanks them and shows I understood the request, says plainly that it is outside the agreed scope and names what the current scope does cover, offers the options above with the cost or timing effect of each, and asks which they prefer by a date. Do not promise anything I didn't list. Do not apologize for the scope. Format: A short email under 200 words with a subject line, friendly and direct. Present the options as a short list. Sign off as [YOUR NAME]. ``` ## Fill in the blanks **`[CLIENT]`** Client name and the contact's first name. **`[AGREED SCOPE]`** What the signed agreement or proposal covers, in a few lines. **`[REQUEST]`** The client's message about the extra work, pasted or paraphrased as closely as you can. **`[CHANGE TERMS]`** What the agreement says about changes, such as written approval and a quote first. Write "nothing written" if it is silent. **`[OPTIONS]`** What you'll offer, with prices and dates: add it for a fee, swap it in, or handle it in a second phase. **`[YOUR NAME]`** The name that signs the email. ## Example, filled in **A made-up example** from the free lesson [Build a Lead Magnet Signup Form with an AI Welcome Email](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/lead-magnet-signup-form-ai-welcome-email). Harbor & Pine Coffee Roasters is the made-up coffee company from the marketing lessons. Its made-up consultant built the free-guide signup form, and the owner has now asked for a second form for wholesale customers. Copy example ```text Role: You are a calm, professional account lead writing to a client who has asked for extra work. Context: Our agreement with Harbor & Pine Coffee Roasters covers: one "Get the free guide" signup form, the workflow that tags each lead and saves it to a sheet, and a personal welcome email. Their new request, in their words: "Could we add a wholesale inquiry form too? Cafes keep asking and it should be basically the same thing." How our agreement handles changes: any new work needs a written quote that the client approves first. What I am willing to offer: add the wholesale form for $900 with delivery in one week after approval, or swap it in for the planned reporting step at no extra cost, or schedule it for the next phase. Task: Write a reply that does four things: thanks them and shows I understood the request, says plainly that it is outside the agreed scope and names what the current scope does cover, offers the options above with the cost or timing effect of each, and asks which they prefer by a date. Do not promise anything I didn't list. Do not apologize for the scope. Format: A short email under 200 words with a subject line, friendly and direct. Present the options as a short list. Sign off as Jordan. ``` ## What a good answer looks like - The first line shows you understood: a wholesale inquiry form for cafes. - One sentence names what's covered (the signup form, tagging, welcome email) and says the wholesale form isn't part of it. - Three options with $900, one week, no extra cost and "next phase" exactly as you gave them. - A clear ask for a decision by a date, and no apology for the scope. ## 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. - Check every price and time against what you meant to offer. The model should only repeat them. - Make sure it says the quote needs the client's written approval first, if your agreement requires that. - Watch for soft wording like "happy to squeeze that in". It reads as a yes. - If the agreement's change terms matter, have a lawyer confirm the reply doesn't contradict them. ## Why this prompt works Clients rarely ask for extra work to be difficult. A reply that restates the scope and then offers choices keeps the conversation about options, not about who is right. ## Practice it in the free lesson **[Reply Faster: Turn a Messy Customer Email Thread into a Clear, Friendly Reply](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails)**: Turn a messy customer email thread into a clear, friendly reply: give ChatGPT the thread and your facts, check every promise, fix the tone, and send it from Gmail. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/chatgpt-reply-faster) Also useful: [Build a Lead Magnet Signup Form with an AI Welcome Email](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/lead-magnet-signup-form-ai-welcome-email) ## Terms used here [Follow-up email](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/follow-up-email) · [Human in the loop](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/human-in-the-loop) · [Prompt constraints](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/prompt-constraints) ## Related prompts - [Change order email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/change-order-email-prompt): Explain extra work found mid-job and get written approval: what you found, the added cost, the new total, and what happens if… - [Decline a request politely prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/decline-request-politely-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt for saying no to a customer clearly and kindly: the no up front, one honest reason, a real alternative, and no… - [Check reply promises prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/check-reply-promises-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt that checks a draft before you send it: a table of every promise, the fact behind each, and safer wording for… ## More customer emails prompts - [Service appointment confirmation prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/appointment-confirmation-email-prompt): Confirm a booked service visit by email: the day and arrival window, what the tech will do, how to get the home ready, and how… - [Service delay update prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/service-delay-update-prompt): A ChatGPT prompt for telling a customer their job is delayed, sorted into what's confirmed, what isn't known yet and when… - [Tax extension explanation email prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts/tax-extension-explanation-email-prompt): Explain a filed tax extension to a worried client in plain words: what was filed, the new deadline, what was paid, what's… [All free prompt templates](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompts) · [AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary)