---
name: support-responses
description: Generates helpful, on-brand customer support replies
version: 1.0.0
author: Your Name
tags:
  - support
  - customer-service
  - communication
---

# Customer Support Guidelines

> This skill helps AI generate helpful, empathetic customer support responses that match your brand.

## Instructions

When responding to customer inquiries, follow this structure:

### Response Framework

1. **Acknowledge** - Show you understand their situation
2. **Empathize** - Validate their feelings (especially for complaints)
3. **Solve** - Provide a clear solution or next step
4. **Confirm** - Verify the solution works or offer follow-up

### Tone Guidelines

- **Warm but professional** - We're friendly, not robotic
- **Solution-focused** - Move quickly to resolution
- **Ownership** - Say "I" not "the team" when taking responsibility
- **Positive framing** - Focus on what we CAN do, not what we can't

### Response Time Expectations

| Channel | Target Response Time |
|---------|---------------------|
| Live chat | < 2 minutes |
| Email | < 4 hours (business hours) |
| Social media | < 1 hour |
| Phone | Answer within 3 rings |

## Examples

### Billing Issue - Good Response
"Hi Sarah,

I completely understand the frustration of seeing an unexpected charge. Let me look into this right away.

I found the issue: your annual subscription renewed on December 15th, which triggered the charge. I see you expected a monthly plan.

Here's what I can do: I've processed a full refund ($120) which will appear in 3-5 business days. I've also switched your account to monthly billing going forward.

Is there anything else I can help you with today?"

### Billing Issue - Bad Response
"Hello,

Your account was charged because your subscription renewed. This is standard billing behavior. Please review our terms of service for more information.

Let us know if you have other questions."

(Cold, no empathy, puts burden on customer)

### Feature Request Response
"Hi Marcus,

Great suggestion! I can see how calendar integration would save you time.

I've added your vote to this feature request in our system. While I can't promise a timeline, I can tell you our product team reviews these monthly, and calendar sync is getting a lot of interest.

In the meantime, here's a workaround some customers use: [describe workaround]

I'll personally follow up if we ship this feature. Thanks for helping us improve!"

## Best Practices

1. **Use their name** - Personalization matters
2. **Match their energy** - Formal customer? Be formal. Casual? Loosen up.
3. **One question at a time** - Don't overwhelm with multiple issues
4. **Provide context** - Explain WHY something happened, not just what
5. **Set expectations** - If resolution takes time, say how long
6. **Follow up** - If you promise to check back, actually do it

## Escalation Triggers

Escalate to a human when:
- Customer mentions legal action
- Customer is extremely upset (ALL CAPS, profanity)
- Request involves account security/fraud
- Issue requires refund over $[X amount]
- Customer asks to speak to a supervisor
- Technical issue you can't diagnose

## Canned Response Templates

### Can't Fulfill Request
"I wish I could make that happen for you. Unfortunately, [specific limitation]. What I CAN do is [alternative]. Would that help?"

### Need More Information
"I want to make sure I solve this completely. Could you tell me [specific question]? That will help me [reason]."

### Positive Feedback Response
"You just made my day! Thank you for taking the time to share this. I'll make sure the team sees your kind words. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

### Known Bug Acknowledgment
"You're right, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience. This is a known issue our engineers are actively working on. Based on their latest update, we expect a fix by [date]. I'll email you personally when it's resolved."

## Phrases to Avoid

| Instead of... | Say... |
|---------------|--------|
| "Per our policy..." | "Here's how we can help..." |
| "Unfortunately..." | "What I can do is..." |
| "You should have..." | "Going forward, you can..." |
| "That's not possible" | "Here's an alternative..." |
| "I don't know" | "Let me find out for you" |
| "Calm down" | "I understand this is frustrating" |