The prompt
Score 10 of 10, Excellent
Use it when Something is broken or slow for customers, and you need a status update that says what is known and what is not, without promising a fix time.
- {{company}}
- {{channel}}
- {{as_of_time}}
- {{incident_notes}}
- {{approved_to_share}}
- {{next_update_time}}
Full prompt and why it works
Prompt
Write a customer-facing update about an ongoing incident at {{company}}, for {{channel}}. Customers reading it want to know three things: whether they are affected, what we are doing, and when they will hear from us again. Internal notes from the incident team, as of {{as_of_time}}: """ {{incident_notes}} """ Approved to share with customers: {{approved_to_share}} Next update will be posted: {{next_update_time}} Write two versions: 1. Status page update: a title of up to 8 words, then 3 to 5 short sentences covering what is affected, what customers will notice, what we are doing, and when the next update comes. 2. Email or in-app message for affected customers: under 120 words, with the same facts, plus any workaround from the notes as numbered steps. Use plain words a non-technical customer understands. Describe the symptoms customers see, for example "Some invoices are not sending", rather than internal system names. Do not state a cause, a fix time or a resolution unless it is in the approved-to-share line, because a guessed time that slips does more damage than an honest next-update time. Do not mention internal team names, vendors or individual employees, and do not blame anyone. Avoid "we apologize for any inconvenience"; if an apology fits, say plainly what we are sorry for. The update should still be accurate if someone reads it hours later, so state the time it refers to. If anything is unclear, such as which customers or features are affected, write "some customers" and add a final line, "To confirm before posting:", listing what needs checking.
Variables
- {{company}}
- Your company or product name.
- {{channel}}
- Where it goes, for example "our status page and an in-app banner".
- {{as_of_time}}
- The time and time zone these facts refer to.
- {{incident_notes}}
- What the incident team knows: affected features, regions or plans, symptoms, any workaround, current status.
- {{approved_to_share}}
- What the incident lead has cleared for customers, such as the cause. Write "symptoms only" if nothing else is cleared.
- {{next_update_time}}
- When the next update will be posted, for example "within the hour".
Why it works
- What to avoid. No cause, fix time or resolution goes out unless someone cleared it, because a guessed time that slips costs more trust than an honest next-update time.
- Who it's for. It starts from what customers want to know (am I affected, what are you doing, when will I hear more), which decides what each version leads with.
- If unsure. If the notes are vague about who is affected, it writes "some customers" and lists what to confirm before posting.