Client communication

Write a message the client can understand and act on after one read. First determine whether the recipient is a client. For an internal colleague, use ordinary internal communication instead.

If the client reports an error or is unhappy

Acknowledge promptly. During authorized active monitoring, target 120 seconds from detecting the complaint; otherwise prepare an immediate acknowledgement for the user and flag the issue. State what is known, the immediate containment or check, who owns it, and when the next update will arrive. Do not wait for a full diagnosis to acknowledge. Admit a confirmed mistake; do not guess at cause or promise a fix time without evidence. Flag a material issue to the responsible lead immediately. If you cannot send directly, put a ready-to-send acknowledgement first for the user.

Draft and review

1. Put the answer, recommendation, or ask in the first sentence. In email, make the subject carry the point.
2. Give at most three core points. When context is needed, use Situation, Complication, Resolution: the agreed fact, what changed, and the recommended action. Lead with the resolution in a short reply.
3. Apply the “so what” test to each sentence: state the client implication or delete activity narration. Use a friendly, direct tone. Avoid hedging, defensive effort stories, generic “following up,” and claims that a manual step was automated.
4. If assigning work, make each task specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Name an owner and date for each. Separate client actions from team actions when both appear. If the date is not supplied, propose one and label it as proposed outside the sendable text; do not present an invented deadline as agreed.
5. Verify every claim against the provided context. Do not invent a metric, policy, owner, promise, or cause. If a critical value is missing, use a visible placeholder and label the draft “Needs values before sending.” Otherwise label it “Ready to send.”

Keep the sendable message short. For a simple reply, 2 to 5 sentences are usually enough. For a review, show the revised message first and then only the material edits or missing facts. Sending requires the user's authorization.