# Respond to an angry customer and de-escalate

De-escalates an upset customer, owns the issue, and offers a concrete resolution.

- Topic: Customer Support
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Customer Support, Write, Analyze, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/respond-to-an-angry-customer-and-de-escalate

## Prompt

```text
Help me respond to an upset customer.

**Channel:** [email / chat / phone / public review / social comment]
**What the customer said:** [PASTE]
**What actually happened (our side):** [FACTS]
**What I'm able to offer:** [refund, replacement, credit, escalation, explanation]
**Policy limits:** [WHAT I CAN'T DO]

Write a response that:
1. Acknowledges their frustration specifically (not "we apologize for any inconvenience").
2. Takes ownership where we're at fault, without blaming the customer or making excuses.
3. Explains what happened briefly and honestly.
4. Gives a concrete resolution and timeline, or clear options.
5. Ends with a direct way to reach me.

For phone calls, give talking points plus phrases to use if they escalate. For public replies, keep it short and move details to a private channel.
```

## What to fill in

- email / chat / phone / public review / social comment
- PASTE
- FACTS
- refund, replacement, credit, escalation, explanation
- WHAT I CAN'T DO

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