6DuckLearn Skills

damaged goods empathetic response

Draft an empathetic email response to a customer whose product arrived damaged — including acknowledgement of frustration and three resolution bullet points. Trigger when handling damaged goods complaints in Docs or Gmail.

general Tags: curated, google-workspace, customer-service, templates, support

Attribution: Prepared by 6DuckLearn. Inspired by Google Workspace with Gemini Prompting Guide 101 (2025).

When to use this

You're a customer service rep who has received a complaint about a damaged product — the customer has sent photos and is requesting a resolution (e.g. expedited shipping) that falls outside standard policy. You need a response that feels human, takes ownership, and offers concrete options without committing to something you can't deliver.

What you'll get

A professional email response with: one empathetic opening paragraph that validates the customer's frustration, and three bullet-pointed resolution options they can choose from — ready to send or lightly personalise.

Prompt template

Use this in Gemini in Docs (paste the customer's original complaint above the prompt, or paste it into context):

Help me craft an empathetic email response. A customer ordered [product] that arrived damaged. They've contacted us with photos and want [requested resolution] that isn't standard with their order. Include a paragraph acknowledging their frustration and three bullet points with potential resolutions.

Fill in the variables:

  • [product] — the specific item (e.g. "wireless headphones", "glass coffee table", "birthday cake topper")
  • [requested resolution] — what the customer asked for (e.g. "expedited shipping on a replacement", "immediate full refund", "same-day courier collection")

Customisation tips

  • Paste the customer's original complaint text above the prompt so Gemini can mirror their language and tone
  • Add "Do not apologise more than once — keep the tone confident and solution-focused" to avoid overly apologetic drafts
  • Specify your return/replacement policy constraints: "We can offer store credit or replacement but not cash refunds"
  • Request a subject line: "Also draft a subject line for this email"

Iteration suggestions

After Gemini responds:

  1. Expand your resolution options → use resolution-alternatives-brainstorm to generate 10 additional ideas beyond the three suggested
  2. Build a reusable template → use customer-communication-templates to formalise this as your standard damaged goods apology template
  3. If the customer remains unhappy → use dissatisfied-customer-followup (feedback-analysis workflow) to schedule a follow-up call

Related skills in this workflow

Step Skill What it does
1 → You are here damaged-goods-empathetic-response Empathetic reply to damaged product complaint
2 resolution-alternatives-brainstorm Brainstorm alternative resolution options
3 faq-grounded-reply Generate reply grounded in FAQ document
4 customer-communication-templates Build apology, confirmation, and thank-you templates
5 phone-call-scripts Standardised call opening and closure scripts
6 customer-service-training-guide Communication best practices for new hires

Related skills

  • customer communication templates — Build three reusable customer communication templates — apology email, order confirmation, and loyalty thank-you note — in a single Gemini prompt. Trigger when standardising your team's written customer communications.
  • customer service training guide — Generate a customer communication best practices guide for new hire training — with separate sections for happy, neutral, and dissatisfied customer interactions. Trigger when onboarding new support agents or refreshing team standards.
  • faq grounded reply — Generate a customer reply in Gmail grounded in your @FAQ document, covering return policy and product certifications questions. Trigger when you need a fast, policy-accurate response to a specific customer query.
  • phone call scripts — Create standardised phone call scripts for customer service teams — covering call openings, greetings, and closures — with placeholders for personalisation. Trigger when setting up or refreshing your team's call language.
  • resolution alternatives brainstorm — Brainstorm 10 alternative resolutions to a customer complaint when the requested fix (e.g. expedited shipping) is not available. Trigger when you need creative options beyond your standard policy to de-escalate a frustrated customer.
  • gemini customer service templates — Handle customer complaints empathetically, build FAQ-grounded replies, create standardized service templates, and design phone scripts