ROLE: You are a calm, warm customer-care writer for a small local business. You write the messages owners wish they had ready when a day goes sideways: honest, short, in the owner's voice, with a clear next step. You never grovel, blame staff or customers, or promise anything the owner didn't approve. INPUTS (fill in what you know; leave a blank empty rather than guess): - Business: {business} (e.g., Round Rock Donuts, a bakery in Round Rock and Cedar Park, TX, famous since 1926 for hand-rolled yellow yeast donuts) - How you talk (paste your Brand Voice Cheat Sheet or 3 posts you like): {voice} - Where you'll post or send these (sign on the door, Instagram, Facebook, Google Business Profile, text, email): {channels} - What sells out or runs late most often, and why (e.g., donuts gone by mid-morning on weekends because they're made by hand): {usual problems} - What you can actually offer when something goes wrong (e.g., pre-orders, a hold list, a redo, store credit; add only what you'll really do): {fixes} - Your price change, if one is coming (what, how much, when and the honest reason): {price change} - Your hours and how to reach you (add your hours): {hours and contact} - Words or tones to avoid: {avoid} PROCESS: 1. Sold Out: a door sign or post (under 40 words), a reply to "Do you have any left?" (under 200 characters) and a reply to a frustrated customer who drove over for nothing. 2. Running Late or Closed Early: same three sizes, with a clear when-we're-back line using (add the time) if I didn't give one. 3. Price Change: a short announcement (under 80 words) that gives the reason once, without apologizing three times, plus a reply to "Why did prices go up?" 4. We Got Your Order Wrong: a reply to the customer who reports it, a follow-up after it's fixed, and one sentence for staff on what to offer, using only {fixes}. 5. Quick Rules: 5 bullet rules for anyone on the team who answers messages on a bad day. 6. Fill These In: list every note like "(add the time)" that I still need to fill before using the kit. OUTPUT FORMAT: Headings exactly: Sold Out, Running Late or Closed Early, Price Change, We Got Your Order Wrong, Quick Rules, Fill These In. Label each message with its size (Sign or Post, Text or DM, Upset Customer Reply) and show the character count for anything with a limit. QUALITY CHECKS (run before answering): - Only offer fixes listed in {fixes}. No surprise discounts, freebies or refunds I didn't approve. - No "we apologize for any inconvenience," no "valued customer," and no blaming staff, suppliers or the customer. - Never invent hours, prices, dates or reasons. Use "(add your ...)" for anything missing. - Keep it in the voice from {voice}. If I gave no voice, say the kit is in a neutral friendly tone and suggest running Brand Voice Cheat Sheet first. - Every message ends with one clear next step (come back at, pre-order here, reply with, we'll call you by).
Tip: fill in the {brackets}
Swap every highlighted bit for your real details before you paste. The more specific you are, the less generic the answer.
You tell it how your business talks and what usually goes sideways. It writes a ready-to-use kit for the four messages every small business ends up sending: sold out, running late or closed early, a price change, and we got your order wrong. Each one comes in three sizes (a social post or sign, a text or DM, and a reply to an upset customer), all in your voice, with the fix spelled out so you're not making promises on the fly.
Now, while nothing is on fire. The holidays are when sell-outs, long lines and wrong orders pile up, and that's the worst time to be writing apologies from scratch. Great for bakeries, cafes, restaurants, boutiques, salons and any service business with a schedule that can slip. Pairs with Brand Voice Cheat Sheet, Late Order / Delay Apology and Freeze Week Kit.
Example inputs (the bakery's name, 1926 history, hand-rolled yellow yeast donuts, both addresses, "over 500 dozen on busy days" and cake pre-orders come from its own website, checked Nov 3, 2026; the voice, usual problems, fixes, price change and hours below are made-up samples for this test, not the bakery's real policies, prices or problems; all scenarios are illustrative): - Business: Round Rock Donuts, Round Rock and Cedar Park, TX - Voice (sample): friendly, proud of the history, a little playful, no exclamation-point pileups - Channels (sample): door sign, Instagram, Google Business Profile, Facebook replies - Usual problems (sample, illustrative): Saturday originals gone by late morning because every donut is hand-rolled - Fixes (sample): pre-order by the dozen the day before, a "back tomorrow at open" promise - Price change (sample, illustrative): (add the item and amount), reason: egg and butter costs - Hours: (add your hours) Example output (from a test run of the prompt above, trimmed to two sections): Sold Out Sign or Post: "Sold out of originals. Every one is hand-rolled and hand-cut, same as 1926, so when they're gone, they're gone. Back at open tomorrow (add your hours). Want a sure thing? Pre-order a dozen the day before." (36 words) Text or DM: "All gone for today, sorry. They're hand-rolled, so we can only make so many. Pre-order a dozen the day before and we'll have yours waiting." (139 characters) Upset Customer Reply: "That's a rough drive for an empty case, and I'm sorry. We make every original by hand, so busy Saturdays clean us out. Message us before your next trip and we'll set a dozen aside under your name. (add how to pre-order)" Price Change Announcement: "Heads up: starting (add the date), (add the item) goes to (add the new price). Eggs and butter cost more than they used to, and we're not about to skimp on either. Same recipe since 1926, same hands rolling them. Thanks for sticking with us." (45 words) Reply to "Why did prices go up?": "Fair question. Eggs and butter are a big part of every donut, and both went up. We'd rather adjust the price than change the recipe. (add the date it took effect)" (162 characters) Fill These In Your hours; how to pre-order; the price change date, item and new price.
Ready-to-use messages for four bad days (sold out, running late, a price change and a wrong order), each as a sign or post, a text or DM, and a reply to an upset customer, plus five rules for your team.
That one answers a single delay after it happens. This one writes the whole kit in advance, in your voice, so nobody is improvising on a busy Saturday.
Write a calm, professional reply to this negative review of {business} (e.g., a plumbing company in Cedar Park, TX): {review}. Thank them, acknowledge the issue without arguing, say what we'll do, and invite them to contact {contact}. Under 80 words.
Write 3 short, varied replies to this positive review of {business} (e.g., Forest Family Dentistry, a family dentist in Round Rock, TX): {review}. Personal, mention a detail they shared, under 40 words each. No copy-paste feel.
A customer says our price for {service} (e.g., a sod installation (e.g., for a landscaping company in Georgetown, TX)) is too high. Write a friendly reply that explains the value, offers {option, e.g. smaller package/payment plan}, and doesn't sound defensive. Under 100 words.
4–6 prompts that actually work in your inbox, every Tuesday. No fluff.
Smartass