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Tell customers clearly when something goes wrong
A calm, honest message to all affected customers about a delay, outage or mistake, with versions for email, social media and your website.
When to use it
When a problem affects many customers at once
Step by step
Write down the facts
Note what happened, who is affected, what you're doing about it, and when you'll next update people. Stick to what you know for sure.
Get all versions at once
Paste your notes into your AI assistant with this prompt.
Prompt to copySomething has gone wrong at [business name]. Facts: [what happened]. Who is affected: [customers]. What we're doing: [actions]. When customers will hear from us next: [time]. Anything we're offering: [refund / credit / nothing yet]. Write: 1) a customer email (subject line plus under 150 words), 2) a social media post under 280 characters, 3) a two-sentence banner for our website. Be honest and specific, apologise once, do not speculate about causes we haven't confirmed, and avoid jargon. British English.Send it and keep your promise
Send the email through Mailchimp or your usual email tool, post the update, and set a reminder for the time you said you'd update people next.
What you get
Subject: Your order is running a few days late Hi there, our courier had a warehouse fault on Monday, so orders placed between 3 and 5 May will arrive 2 to 3 days later than planned. We're really sorry. Every affected order now has free delivery refunded, and we'll email you a fresh tracking link by Friday.
Tips
- Send a short follow-up when it's fixed; customers remember that more than the problem.
- If the issue involves people's personal data, speak to a professional adviser before you send anything, as there may be legal steps to follow.