Explaining the repair and its price in plain language
Customer communication and follow-up is the single most common AI use in the trades (52%). After the diagnosis, the customer wants plain English: why the valve has to come out, why it costs what it does, and what the options are. Price-shocked or anxious customers eat an afternoon of back-and-forth. AI drafts the explanation fast — the risk is sounding robotic or letting it invent a cause you never diagnosed.
You are helping a licensed plumber write a clear, friendly message explaining a repair to a customer. Write it in my normal plain-spoken tone. What I found on site: {{what_i_found}} The fix I recommend: {{recommended_fix}} The options and my prices: {{options_and_prices}} Write an email or text that: - Explains the problem in plain language, translating any plumbing term in a short phrase. - Says why the fix is needed and, briefly and without scare tactics, what happens if it waits. - Lays out the options with the prices I gave, so the customer can choose. - Ends with a clear next step (approve, schedule, or call me). Hard rules: - Use ONLY the findings, fixes, and prices I provided. Do not invent a cause, add work I did not list, cite code sections, or promise any warranty or outcome I did not state. - If something is unclear or missing, put it in a [FOR PLUMBER] note at the bottom — never in the customer's message. - Warm and professional, under 160 words.
Fill in your details and the prompt updates live — then copy.
Hi Jane — thanks for your patience today. Here is the plain version: the shutoff valve under your kitchen sink has corroded and no longer seals, which is why it drips even when it is closed. Left as-is it tends to worsen and can let go without much warning, so I would replace it now. Two options: (1) swap the single valve — $145; or (2) replace both hot and cold valves and the supply lines while I am in there — $220, and you likely will not touch it again for years. Happy to do either. Want me to go ahead? — Mike
The full workflow
- Strip the customer's name and address, then paste your findings, fix, and prices.
- Run the prompt and read it as the customer would — cut anything that over-promises.
- Resolve any [FOR PLUMBER] notes from your own knowledge.
- Add the customer's name and send from your own phone or email.
Watch out for
The diagnosis and the price are your licensed judgment — never let AI invent a cause, add work, or promise a warranty or outcome you did not state; it should only reword what you decided.
Over-relying on AI for customer messages can make your business feel impersonal and robotic, which SimplyBusiness warns can alienate the customers who hired you for personal service — edit every draft into your own voice.
Keep customer names and addresses out of consumer AI tools; add them only when you send the message.
Where this comes from
Every use case on this site is grounded in real reports from working plumbers — not invented by us.