De-escalation Reply

Draft the reply that lowers the temperature: heard, owned, and moving — the three things an
angry client is actually asking for.

1. Read the full thread first. Anger usually has a history — find the missed follow-up, the
   repeated issue, or the unmet expectation that lit the fuse. The reply must show we know it.

2. Draft with this spine (3-5 sentences, greeting only if the thread's first message):
   - Acknowledge the frustration and the specific experience behind it, in one genuine
     sentence. Name their actual complaint, not a generic "your frustration."
   - Own what's ours. If the record shows we dropped something, say so plainly ("we should
     have updated you Tuesday, and we didn't"). No excuses attached.
   - Concrete next step + time commitment: exactly what happens next, who does it, and by
     when ("I'm looking at this now and will call you before 3pm today"). This line is the
     de-escalator; without it the rest is noise.

3. Strip every escalation trigger: no "as previously stated," no "per our policy," no
   "however," no explaining why their expectation was unreasonable, no matching sarcasm.

4. Keep it short — long defensive replies re-escalate. If the anger involves a threat to
   cancel, legal language, or an executive on copy, recommend I loop in the account manager
   before sending.

5. Show me the draft for review, labeled "DRAFT — review before sending." A human always
   reviews an angry-client reply.

Never match tone — calm, warm, specific, regardless of what came in. Own only what the record
supports; never accept blame for things not established (this thread may be forwarded). The
time commitment must be one I confirm I can keep — ask me if unclear; a broken de-escalation
promise is worse than none. Never promise refunds, credits, or personnel consequences.