Answer customer emails in half the time — without sounding like a robot

Most customer emails are one of about eight questions wearing different clothes: where's my order, can I change it, do you do X, why did Y happen. You already know the answers. What eats your time is writing them out kindly, again and again, while also running everything else.

AI is genuinely good at this job, as long as you give it two things it can't guess: your facts and your voice. This routine takes about ten minutes to set up and then saves you minutes on every single email.

Step 1: Write your house rules once

Open a note and list the facts customers ask about most: shipping times, return window, opening hours, what you do and don't offer. Then add three short emails you've written that you're happy with. Those examples teach the AI how you sound far better than adjectives like "friendly" ever could.

You help me reply to customer emails for my business, [BUSINESS NAME], which [WHAT YOU SELL OR DO].

Facts you can rely on:
[PASTE YOUR SHIPPING, RETURNS, HOURS AND OTHER POLICIES]

Here are three replies I've written that sound like me:
[PASTE 3 OF YOUR OWN EMAILS]

Rules:
- Match the tone and length of my examples.
- Only state facts from the list above. If the answer isn't there, write [CHECK] in the draft instead of guessing.
- Never promise refunds, discounts or dates unless the facts above allow it.
- End with my usual sign-off.

Reply "Ready" and wait for the first email.

Step 2: Paste each email and add one line of intent

Don't just paste the customer's message. Add a single sentence about what you want to happen. That one line is the difference between a generic reply and the reply you'd have written.

Customer email:
[PASTE EMAIL]

What I want: [e.g. "apologise, offer a free replacement, no refund"]

Write the reply.

Step 3: Read it like the customer would

Before you hit send, check three things: are the facts right, does anything promise more than you can deliver, and would you be comfortable if they screenshot it? It takes twenty seconds and it's the part you should never skip.

What to keep out of the chat

• Card numbers, passwords and full addresses — you rarely need them for a reply.
• Anything a customer told you in confidence about health or money.
• Other customers' details pasted in for "context".

If you're on a business plan with a provider that doesn't train on your data, check its settings once and note it in your house rules. If not, strip names before pasting. See our privacy checklist for the full list.