Follow-up, review-request and complaint reply messages

After a job, a short message does two things. It shows you care, and it gives the customer an easy way to speak up. When something went wrong, it can calm things down. AI can help with wording. It shouldn't decide what you say.

The after-job follow-up

Keep it small. Thank them once. Ask if everything looked right. Give one way to reply.

Example prompt: "Write a short friendly message to a customer after a clean. Ask if anything was missed. Don't offer discounts or refunds."

Read the result and cut anything stiff. A real person wouldn't write "We value your feedback immensely."

Asking for a review

If you ask for a review, ask plainly. Don't write the review for them. Don't offer a reward for good ones. Don't ask only the happy customers. Rules on reviews differ by country, so read your own consumer regulator's page before you start.

Ask the tool for a one-line request, such as: "If you were happy with the clean, a short review would help us." Never have the tool make up customer comments. Never post a review as if a customer wrote it. That would be dishonest.

Marketing rules can apply

A message that asks for a review may be treated as promotional in some places. The ACMA is Australia's regulator for this, and it says marketing messages need the recipient's consent first.¹ That is about marketing messages in Australia. Whether a review request counts is a question for the ACMA page, not for this one.

In the United States and the United Kingdom, other rules cover email and text marketing. Check the official source for your country.

Replying to a complaint

An unhappy customer needs three things: to be heard, to know what happens next, and to hear it from a person.

Work in this order:

1. Read the whole message, twice.
2. Find out what happened. Ask your cleaner. Look at the checklist and any photos you took.
3. Decide what you'll do: re-clean, partial credit, a call, or nothing if the complaint isn't fair.
4. Only then ask the tool for a draft.

Tell the tool your decision. Say: "Write a calm, kind reply. Say sorry that they're unhappy. Offer only this: a re-clean on Thursday morning. Don't admit fault we haven't confirmed. Don't add other offers."

Keep it honest

An AI draft can overreach. It may apologize for things that didn't happen, offer refunds you never agreed, or blame the customer. Wikipedia calls this a hallucination: false or misleading content stated as if it were fact.²

A complaint reply is a place where that does real harm. Check every sentence against what you know.

Kindness doesn't need a long message. Three short paragraphs are usually enough: sorry, what you'll do, how to reach you.

What not to put in the chat

Complaints often contain a name, address, photos of the home and details about the household. Strip these before you paste anything. Australia's OAIC says personal information, and sensitive details most of all, should stay out of public AI chatbots.³

Write with a stand-in such as CUSTOMER and add the real name after.

Legal and money matters

If a complaint mentions damage, injury or lost items, stop. Don't let a tool word your reply. Check your insurance and speak to someone qualified. Consumer rights on refunds and re-dos differ by country, so read your own consumer regulator's guidance. This page can't tell you what you owe.

Write plain replies and keep a copy. If the complaint becomes a dispute, you'll want a record of what was said.

For the earlier parts of the customer's journey, see replying to enquiries.