In this guide · 9 sections
- 01The 4-part prompt formula for business tasks
- 02What not to paste into a prompt
- 03Prompts for sales: quotes, follow-ups and proposals
- 04Prompts for customer service replies
- 05Prompts for admin, HR and internal policies
- 06Prompts for marketing and social media
- 07How to check AI output before you send it
- 08Do it yourself or get help?
- 09Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Use a four-part prompt: role (who the AI is), task (what to produce), context (facts it needs, with personal details removed) and format (length, tone, layout). Then ask it to list anything it was unsure about, and check the result yourself before sending.
The 4-part prompt formula for business tasks
Both OpenAI and Anthropic publish prompting guides. OpenAI's prompt engineering guide suggests structuring instructions into identity, instructions, examples and context. Anthropic's prompt engineering overview lists clarity, examples, structure and role prompting among its core techniques. For day-to-day office work, that boils down to four parts:
Role: tell it who to be
'You are an experienced customer service lead at a Singapore aircon servicing company.' One sentence is enough.
Task: say exactly what to produce
'Write a reply to the complaint below that apologises once, explains the next step and offers a revisit date.'
Context: give the facts it cannot know
Your prices, policies, opening hours, the customer's message with names removed. Paste them below the instructions, clearly marked.
Format: describe the output
'Under 120 words, plain English, no emoji, end with our WhatsApp number [number].' Paste one past example if you have a house style.
Finish most prompts with: 'Before the answer, list any assumptions you made and any information you need from me.' This turns hidden guesses into a short list you can check.
What not to paste into a prompt
Every template below uses placeholders in square brackets. Keep it that way. Under the PDPA your company is responsible for personal data staff put into AI tools, and the PDPC's guidance pages cover how organisations should handle personal data with third-party services.
Use a business account (ChatGPT Business, Claude Team or Gemini in Google Workspace) rather than personal accounts for work. Our ChatGPT at work policy guide has a one-page policy covering accounts, data and checks.
Prompts for sales: quotes, follow-ups and proposals
Paste your price list or service description where the template says so. The AI cannot know your prices; if you leave them out, it will invent plausible ones.
| Task | Prompt template |
|---|---|
| 1. Quote from a price list | You are a sales coordinator. Using only the price list below, write a quote for [service and quantity] for [Customer A]. Show each line, subtotal, GST at 9% and total. If an item is not on the list, say so instead of guessing. Price list: [paste] |
| 2. Follow-up after no reply | Write a short, polite follow-up to a quote we sent [X days] ago for [service]. Two sentences, one question that is easy to answer, no pressure. Our tone: [paste a past email]. |
| 3. One-page proposal | Turn these notes into a one-page proposal with sections: the problem, what we will do, timeline, price, what we need from the client. Notes: [paste]. Keep it under 350 words. |
| 4. Objection reply | A prospect says our price of [S$X] is higher than a competitor's. Write three ways to reply that explain value without criticising the competitor. Our differences: [list]. |
If you get many enquiries through a website form, consider automating the first reply and follow-up rather than prompting each one by hand.
Prompts for customer service replies
Customer service is where tone matters most and mistakes cost most. Always anonymise the customer's message before pasting it in.
| Task | Prompt template |
|---|---|
| 5. Complaint reply | You handle complaints for a [type of business] in Singapore. Reply to the message below: apologise once, state what we will do and by when, avoid admitting legal liability. Under 120 words. Message: [paste, names removed] |
| 6. Refund policy answer | Using only our refund policy below, answer this customer question. If the policy does not cover it, say a staff member will confirm. Policy: [paste]. Question: [paste] |
| 7. FAQ from emails | Here are 15 customer questions we received this month (personal details removed). Group them into themes and draft a short FAQ answer for each theme using our policies: [paste]. |
| 8. Translate a reply | Translate this reply into simple [Chinese / Malay / Tamil] for a customer in Singapore. Keep the meaning exact and list any phrase where the translation could be read two ways. Text: [paste] |
If the same questions come in every day, an assistant on your website that answers only from your own FAQ may save more time. Our AI chatbot guide explains the costs and guard-rails.
Prompts for admin, HR and internal policies
For HR and policies, use AI to draft structure and plain wording, not to decide anything about a person. Have the final version checked against official sources such as MOM's website.
| Task | Prompt template |
|---|---|
| 9. Job advert | Write a job advert for a [role] at a [size] Singapore [industry] business. Include duties, must-have skills, working hours and how to apply. Use inclusive language and no age, race or gender preferences. |
| 10. Onboarding checklist | Create a first-week onboarding checklist for a new [role], split into day 1, days 2 to 3 and days 4 to 5. Include accounts to create, tools to learn and who they should meet. |
| 11. Staff policy draft | Draft a one-page [leave / BYOD / social media] policy for a 10-person company in Singapore. Plain English, numbered points. Mark anything that depends on Singapore law with [CHECK] so we can verify it. |
| 12. Meeting notes to actions | Turn these meeting notes into a table: action, owner (use initials), due date. List any decision that has no owner. Notes: [paste, client names removed] |
| 13. Spreadsheet formula | In Excel, column A has invoice dates and column B has amounts. Write a formula that totals invoices older than 30 days. Explain it in one sentence and give one example to test it. |
| 14. SOP from a voice note | Turn this transcript into a step-by-step procedure with numbered steps, the tools used and common mistakes. Transcript: [paste] |
How to check AI output before you send it
AI tools can state wrong facts with confidence, and they sometimes invent sources, laws or prices. A two-minute check catches most problems.
Before sending any AI draft
If staff use AI daily, compare the main tools on your own tasks before paying for seats. Our ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini comparison includes a 30-minute test you can run with real work.
Do it yourself or get help?
You can start today: save the templates you use most in a shared document, or as custom instructions or projects in your AI tool, and replace the placeholders each time. Agree as a team which templates are approved for customer-facing work.
If you want staff trained on safe use, Security Awareness Training (S$390) includes an AI-use policy and a lesson on what not to paste into AI tools. If you want customers' routine questions answered automatically from your own content, AI Website Assistant (S$790) sets one up on your website, on accounts you own.
Frequently asked questions
There is no single best prompt. The most reliable pattern has four parts: a role for the AI, a clear task, the context it needs such as your price list or policy, and the format you want. Adding one real example of your writing style and asking the AI to list its assumptions improves most results.
Only after removing personal details, and preferably on a business account that does not use your data for training by default. Replace names with placeholders and delete phone numbers, emails, addresses and order numbers. Never paste NRIC numbers, health or financial information into any AI tool.
Yes. The templates use plain instructions that work in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot. Results differ a little between tools and model versions, so try your most-used templates in each before choosing a paid plan, and keep the versions that work best in a shared document.
Language models predict likely text. When a prompt asks for a quote without giving your price list, the model fills the gap with plausible numbers. Always paste the facts it needs, tell it to say when something is missing instead of guessing, and check every figure before sending.