---
name: customer-reply-tone
description: Rewrite customer-facing replies in the right tone while preserving factual accuracy, accountability, and clear next steps across sensitive support, delivery, and account situations. Use this whenever users ask to soften, professionalize, de-escalate, polish, or reframe a customer email or chat response, including complaint reply, support response polish, or クレーム返信; use it for reply rewriting and de-escalation, not for sales follow-up or general Japanese business writing.
---

# Customer Reply Tone

## Overview

Refine customer-facing replies so they sound professional, calm, and helpful while still being clear about facts, limits, and next steps.

This skill is for:
- Complaint replies
- Delay explanations
- Apology notes
- Clarification emails
- Sensitive support or account communication

## Triggering Cues

Use this skill when user messages include:

- make this sound better for the customer
- soften this reply
- de-escalate this email
- rewrite this support response
- make this more professional
- customer complaint reply

## Input Requirements

Ask for or infer:

1. Original draft or raw facts
2. Customer situation and sensitivity level
3. Desired tone (empathetic / formal / firm)
4. What can and cannot be promised
5. Required next step or timeline

## Output Format

Always output:

1. **Tone Diagnosis**
2. **Rewritten Response**
3. **Alternate Tone Version** (optional but preferred)
4. **Next Action / Owner / Timing**

## Workflow

1. Identify what may trigger defensiveness or confusion.
2. Preserve accountability without sounding legalistic.
3. Add empathy where appropriate.
4. Make the next step explicit.
5. Return a final version ready to send.

## Examples

### Example 1
Input:
- The customer is upset that onboarding is delayed by one week.

Output style:
- Empathetic and accountable
- No excuses
- Clear recovery plan and new date

### Example 2
Input:
- We need to reject a requested feature without damaging the relationship.

Output style:
- Respectful and clear
- Explain constraints briefly
- Offer alternative next step if possible

## Guidelines

- Never invent commitments.
- Do not sound defensive or passive-aggressive.
- Prefer clarity over excessive apology.
- Keep ownership and timing explicit.
