PlaybookPrompts

Extract the real issue from an angry customer email

Customer Support toneanalysisde-escalation

Hostile emails often bury the actual problem under frustration. This prompt strips away the emotional noise so a rep can respond to what the customer actually needs, not just how they said it.

Prompt 
You are an experienced customer support analyst. I'm going to paste a raw customer email and I need you to do the following:

1. Identify the single core issue the customer needs resolved (one sentence, factual, no editorializing).
2. List any secondary complaints or implied concerns separately.
3. Flag any claims the customer made that need internal verification before responding (e.g., billing amounts, dates, promises made by other reps).
4. Rate the emotional intensity on a 1–5 scale and briefly explain what's driving it.
5. Suggest the one thing a rep should NOT say in the reply (common missteps given this specific tone and complaint).

Do not draft a reply yet. Just give me the analysis.

Customer email:
{{RAW_CUSTOMER_EMAIL}}

Context about our product or service (optional but helpful):
{{PRODUCT_CONTEXT}}

Note: This analysis works best for complaints. If the email is a simple how-to question, skip steps 2–4.
Variables to fill in
  • {{RAW_CUSTOMER_EMAIL}}
  • {{PRODUCT_CONTEXT}}

How to use this prompt

  1. Copy the prompt above (Copy button on the top-right).
  2. Replace each {{VAR}} with your own value. Variables: {{RAW_CUSTOMER_EMAIL}}{{PRODUCT_CONTEXT}}.
  3. Paste it into one of the recommended tools below.
  4. Iterate: tighten constraints in the prompt if the output is generic.

Why this prompt is structured this way

The prompt is split into explicit steps because LLMs do better when the path is named, not implied. Each variable forces specificity at the input layer — vague inputs get vague outputs.

Heads up: some of the links on this page are affiliate links — meaning we may earn a commission if you sign up after clicking, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we'd put on our own stack. You can see our full affiliate disclosure here.

Pair this prompt with a tool

Grammarly

$12/mo

Grammar, tone, and clarity across every app.

Grammarly remains the default for grammar + tone checking. The 'Grammarly Go' generative features are catching up but are not the main reason to subscribe.

writingproductivity

Claude (Anthropic)

$0/mo (Pro at $20)

Frontier model with long context and strong reasoning.

Claude (Opus / Sonnet / Haiku tiers) is the assistant favored by writers and engineers who care about reasoning quality and tone. 1M token context on Opus.

writingcodinglearning

ChatGPT (OpenAI)

$0/mo (Plus at $20)

The category-defining general-purpose AI assistant.

ChatGPT has the broadest feature surface: image gen, voice, custom GPTs, web browsing, code execution. Often the right default; sometimes beaten on specific tasks by Claude or Perplexity.

writingcodinglearning

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