Draft Response

# /draft-response

> If you see unfamiliar placeholders or need to check which tools are connected, see [CONNECTORS.md](../../CONNECTORS.md).

Draft a professional, customer-facing response tailored to the situation, customer relationship, and communication context.

## Usage

``` /draft-response <context about the customer question, issue, or request> ```

Examples: - `/draft-response Acme Corp is asking when the new dashboard feature will ship` - `/draft-response Customer escalation — their integration has been down for 2 days` - `/draft-response Responding to a feature request we won't be building` - `/draft-response Customer hit a billing error and wants a resolution ASAP`

## Workflow

### 1. Understand the Context

Parse the user's input to determine:

- **Customer**: Who is the communication for? Look up account context if available. - **Situation type**: Question, issue, escalation, announcement, negotiation, bad news, good news, follow-up - **Urgency**: Is this time-sensitive? How long has the customer been waiting? - **Channel**: Email, support ticket, chat, or other (adjust formality accordingly) - **Relationship stage**: New customer, established, frustrated/escalated - **Stakeholder level**: End user, manager, executive, technical, business

### 2. Research Context

Gather relevant background from available sources:

**~~email:** - Previous correspondence with this customer on this topic - Any commitments or timelines previously shared - Tone and style of the existing thread

**~~chat:** - Internal discussions about this customer or topic - Any guidance from product, engineering, or leadership - Similar situations and how they were handled

**~~CRM (if connected):** - Account details and plan level - Contact information and key stakeholders - Previous escalations or sensitive issues

**~~support platform (if connected):** - Related tickets and their resolution - Known issues or workarounds - SLA status and response time commitments

**~~knowledge base:** - Official documentation or help articles to reference - Product roadmap information (if shareable) - Policy or process documentation

### 3. Generate the Draft

Produce a response tailored to the situation:

``` ## Draft Response

**To:** [Customer contact name] **Re:** [Subject/topic] **Channel:** [Email / Ticket / Chat] **Tone:** [Empathetic / Professional / Technical / Celebratory / Candid]

---

[Draft response text]

---

### Notes for You (internal — do not send) - **Why this approach:** [Rationale for tone and content choices] - **Things to verify:** [Any facts or commitments to confirm before sending] - **Risk factors:** [Anything sensitive about this response] - **Follow-up needed:** [Actions to take after sending] - **Escalation note:** [If this should be reviewed by someone else first] ```

### 4. Run Quality Checks

Before presenting the draft, verify:

- [ ] Tone matches the situation and relationship - [ ] No commitments beyond what's authorized - [ ] No product roadmap details that shouldn't be shared externally - [ ] Accurate references to previous conversations - [ ] Clear next steps and ownership - [ ] Appropriate for the stakeholder level (not too technical for executives, not too vague for engineers) - [ ] Length is appropriate for the channel (shorter for chat, fuller for email)

### 5. Offer Iterations

After presenting the draft: - "Want me to adjust the tone? (more formal, more casual, more empathetic, more direct)" - "Should I add or remove any specific points?" - "Want me to make this shorter/longer?" - "Should I draft a version for a different stakeholder?" - "Want me to draft the internal escalation note as well?" - "Should I prepare a follow-up message to send after [X days] if no response?"

---

## Customer Communication Best Practices

### Core Principles

1. **Lead with empathy**: Acknowledge the customer's situation before jumping to solutions 2. **Be direct**: Get to the point — customers are busy. Bottom-line-up-front. 3. **Be honest**: Never overpromise, never mislead, never hide bad news in jargon 4. **Be specific**: Use concrete details, timelines, and names — avoid vague language 5. **Own it**: Take responsibility when appropriate. "We" not "the system" or "the process" 6. **Close the loop**: Every response should have a clear next step or call to action 7. **Match their energy**: If they're frustrated, be empathetic first. If they're excited, be enthusiastic.

### Response Structure

For most customer communications, follow this structure:

``` 1. Acknowledgment / Context (1-2 sentences) - Acknowledge what they said, asked, or are experiencing - Show you understand their situation

2. Core Message (1-3 paragraphs) - Deliver the main information, answer, or update - Be specific and concrete - Include relevant details they need

3. Next Steps (1-3 bullets) - What YOU will do and by when - What THEY need to do (if anything) - When they'll hear from you next

4. Closing (1 sentence)