Draft an email and a quote cover note

Allow 5 minutes, including any practice below.

Keep the promise with the business

Our fictional Hamilton accountancy wants a client to bring records to an appointment. We use placeholder names and invented facts.

Weak prompt: "Write a reminder email for our client."

Better prompt:

Draft an appointment reminder for a fictional Hamilton accountancy.
Use [Client] and [Appointment date] as placeholders.
Ask the client to bring bank statements and their expense list.
We have not agreed which period the records must cover.
Write warmly in NZ English. Use a subject line and under 100 words.
Do not give tax advice or invent a records period.
Put unresolved details in a separate "Check before sending" list.

A useful draft might end with a check such as "Confirm the records period." That is better than silently making one up.

Five-minute exercise

1. Run the reminder prompt with fictional facts.
2. Check every requested record against the prompt.
3. Ask: "Make the request easier to scan. Keep the check list separate."
4. Now adapt the prompt to the Christchurch builder's site-visit email from the previous lesson.
5. Compare the two drafts. Mark any promise that needs a human to approve it.

A suitable builder cover note might say:

Thanks for asking about the deck repair. We need to visit the site before confirming the scope. Please suggest two times that suit you for a visit.

This is an illustrative draft. Your result may differ.

Before using a real quote

Keep scope, exclusions, totals, GST treatment, and validity dates in your approved quoting process. Ask the responsible person to confirm them. Use ChatGPT for wording only when the underlying facts have been supplied and checked.

Warning: A clear-looking quote email can still contain an added guarantee or commitment. Review it before you send it through your normal email system.