# Write troubleshooting steps for a customer issue

Step-by-step troubleshooting guides for agents or customers, from simple fixes to escalation.

- Topic: Customer Support
- Framework: RCTFVV
- Level: Advanced
- Tags: Customer Support, Write, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/write-troubleshooting-steps-for-a-customer-issue

## Prompt

```text
Role: Act as an IT support lead designing assisted resolution for a request category.

Context: Request category: [CATEGORY] (e.g. VPN issues, access requests, laptop performance). Systems and knowledge sources of record: [SOURCES]. What the assistant is allowed to do vs must route: [BOUNDARIES]. Security rules (identity verification, least privilege): [SECURITY_RULES]. Escalation tiers: [ESCALATION]. Tone: [TONE].

Task: Produce: (1) an identity/eligibility check step; (2) a troubleshooting decision tree - questions, checks, and fixes in order of likelihood and safety, each citing the source; (3) the conditions that trigger escalation and to whom, with what context to pass; (4) the ticket notes template; (5) 3 example resolutions (a self-serve fix, a needs-approval case, an escalate case).

Format: Sections: Verification step | Decision tree | Escalation rules | Ticket notes template | 3 examples.

Verification: Ensure no step grants access or makes a change beyond the stated boundaries or least-privilege rules; every fix must cite a source. Flag any branch that could leave the user stuck.

Validation: Run a user who fails the first two fixes through the tree: do they reach a resolution or a clean handoff quickly? Shorten any path that loops.
```

## What to fill in

- CATEGORY
- SOURCES
- BOUNDARIES
- SECURITY_RULES
- ESCALATION
- TONE

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