Recognize different kinds of emails sent to people outside your organization
Understand how to write professional and polite responses to customers
Artificial Intelligence as an Email Writing Assistant
A “prompt” is what you tell an artificial intelligence (AI) tool such as ChatGPT, Bard, or Claude, to have it generate text. The better your prompt, the more relevant the AI-generated text will be.
Here are some key takeaways from the video about what your prompt should include to be as effective as possible, listed in order of importance:
Task Definition: Starting with a clear task defined by an action verb (e.g., generate, write, analyze) ensures that the prompt is direct and specific. This helps the model understand exactly what is being asked, leading to more precise outputs.
Context: Including relevant background information, desired outcomes, and the user’s environment adds necessary details that guide the model in providing a more tailored response. The example of specifying workout goals and constraints demonstrates how context can shape the output to be more useful.
Exemplars: Providing examples or frameworks (like the STAR framework for interview answers) significantly enhances the quality of the output. This aligns with research on large language models, where examples improve understanding and generate more accurate responses.
Persona: Defining the role or persona you want the model to assume can help tailor the tone and style of the response. Imagining the model as a specific expert or character can make the output more relevant and engaging.
Format: Visualizing and specifying the desired format of the output (e.g., bullet points, tables, paragraphs) ensures that the response is easily usable. This is particularly useful for professionals who need structured data or well-organized information.
Tone: Specifying the tone of the response helps in achieving the right voice and emotional impact. Asking the model to generate tone keywords based on desired feelings (e.g., confident yet friendly) can help in crafting the perfect tone for various communications.
Apply the tips above and respond to a customer’s complaint.
Consider the scenario: Terrence Rodriguez ordered a pair of jeans and a sweater from online retailer Trendy Threads three weeks ago. The order was supposed to arrive within 5-7 business days, but it has not yet been delivered. Terrence checked the tracking number provided in the confirmation email, but it showed that the package was lost. He is frustrated and has emailed Trendy Threads customer service, demanding a solution and expressing dissatisfaction with the delay and the lack of communication. You are the customer service team member assigned to respond by express shipping the items the customer ordered.
Create a Prompt Using Jeff Su’s Tips
Try creating your own prompt before you read the sample and analysis.
Write an email to respond to a customer with a lost shipment that should have arrived two weeks ago. The tracking number shows the package is lost and the customer is frustrated. As a customer service professional, you must: describe the immediate remedy to the problem, describe why the problem occurred, describe action being taken to correct the problem going forward, and offer positive thoughts for the future. Use a friendly and professional tone.
Let’s analyze the prompt to see how it incorporates the tips from above.
Taskwith Action Verb and Specificity: The task is to “write an email” with specific instructions on the content, ensuring clarity and purpose.
Context: Information about the lost shipment, the two-week delay, and the customer’s frustration sets the scene.
Exemplars: The sample prompt includes the content that needs to be included (remedy, reason, corrective action, positive thoughts) when responding to a critical message from a customer, which serves as a structural guide.
Persona: Identifying the sender as a “customer service professional” helps frame the email in the appropriate voice and perspective.
Format: The prompt specifies the format by listing the elements to include, ensuring a comprehensive and organized response.
Tone: Specifying a friendly and professional tone ensures the email is appropriate for customer service communication and helps in building a positive rapport with the customer.
Now try using the prompt with an AI text generator like ChatGPT or Claude and see what happens. What kind of revising do you need to do?
The text generated may seem pretty good but it’s still necessary for you to review it before you send it to an actual customer. Consider the following:
Personalize the email with the customer’s name and circumstances.
Make sure the email is concise. You’ll want to revise parts that are too wordy or unnecessary.
The tone of the email must match what your organization requires in its external communications in terms of professionalism and branding.
Review for accuracy to ensure details are correct.
Ensure the message sounds authentic. A human customer is going to read this message and it should sound like a human writer wrote it. You’ll want to revise sections that you think sound too robot-like or awkward.
Jeff Su. “Master the Perfect ChatGPT Prompt Formula (in just 8 minutes)!” August 1, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC4v5AS4RIM. ↵