# Explain what went wrong to a customer in plain language

Turns a technical root cause into an honest, jargon-free explanation the customer can understand and accept.

- Topic: Customer Support
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Customer Support, Explain & Teach, Translate, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/explain-what-went-wrong-to-a-customer-in-plain-language

## Prompt

```text
Help me explain to a customer what caused their problem.

**What the customer experienced:** [SYMPTOMS AND IMPACT]
**Technical explanation from the internal team:** [PASTE - jargon is fine]
**Whose fault it was:** [ours / a third party / the customer's setup / unclear]
**What's been fixed and what's still pending:** [STATUS]
**What we're doing so it doesn't happen again:** [PREVENTION - or "unknown"]
**Customer's technical level:** [non-technical / somewhat technical / developer]
**Anything I must not share:** [e.g. security details, vendor names, internal systems]

Rules:
- Translate every technical term into what it means for them. Use one everyday analogy only if it truly helps.
- Structure: what happened, why it affected you, what we've done, what (if anything) you need to do.
- If it was our fault, own it clearly. If it was their setup, explain it without blame and show how to avoid it.
- Don't share security-sensitive detail or internal system names. Don't overstate certainty; if the cause is still being confirmed, say so.
- Under 200 words.

Return the explanation, then a one-paragraph version for chat, then a list of any technical claims I should double-check with the engineering team before sending.
```

## What to fill in

- SYMPTOMS AND IMPACT
- PASTE - jargon is fine
- ours / a third party / the customer's setup / unclear
- STATUS
- PREVENTION - or "unknown"
- non-technical / somewhat technical / developer
- e.g. security details, vendor names, internal systems

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.