TL;DR: These are copy-paste AI prompts for local service businesses: replying to enquiries fast, turning a job description into a written quote, chasing an unanswered quote, asking for a review, replying to a bad one, and writing a Google Business Profile description. Every prompt uses bracketed placeholders, and none of them set your price or invent a fact about a job.
What Makes an AI Prompt Actually Useful for a Trade Business?
You are not writing marketing copy. You are replying to a text between jobs, turning a scrawled note into a quote before you forget the details, or trying to word a reply to a one-star review without sounding defensive. The prompts below are built the same way each time: role (who is writing), task (what needs to happen), format (how long, what it includes), constraints (what to leave out or never invent), and tone. That structure is what stops a general AI tool from returning something that reads like it came from nobody in particular.
Copy the whole block, replace the [BRACKETS] with your real details, and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or whatever AI chat you already have open. Nothing here requires new software, and none of it requires you to be at a desk. Every prompt below is written to survive being pasted one-handed, with the truck door still open.
| One-line prompt | Structured prompt (below) | |
|---|---|---|
| What you type | "Write a review request text" | Role, task, format, constraints, tone: five short lines |
| What you get back | Generic, could be any business, any trade | Specific to your trade, the job, and what you're actually allowed to say |
| Editing needed | Rewrite the tone, add the missing details, cut the fluff | Swap a few brackets |
| Risk of a made-up detail | Higher, the model fills gaps with something plausible | Lower, the prompt tells it what it's allowed to assume |
How Do You Reply to a New Enquiry Fast?
Speed is the whole game here. A customer messaging about a leak or a tripped breaker is usually messaging two or three other businesses at the same time, and the first sensible reply back often wins the job before price ever comes up. Typing that reply well, on a phone, between the last job and this one, is the part that eats time. These two prompts turn a one-line enquiry into a fast, complete reply so you're not starting from a blank text box.
1. Instant reply to a new text or form enquiry
Role: owner of a [YOUR TRADE, e.g. plumbing] business replying to a new customer enquiry.
Task: write a fast, friendly reply to the enquiry below, confirming you can help,
asking for the one or two details you'd need to give a time estimate, and telling
them when you can get back with a firm answer.
Enquiry: [PASTE THE CUSTOMER'S MESSAGE]
Format: under 80 words, text-message length, no email formatting.
Constraints: do not quote a price or a firm time slot yet; ask, don't assume.
Tone: warm, competent, no corporate phrasing.
What to change: paste the actual enquiry so the reply answers what they actually asked, not a generic version of it.
2. Following up a missed call with a text
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business owner who just missed a call from a potential customer.
Task: send a short text acknowledging the missed call, apologizing briefly, and
inviting them to text back with what they need or the best time to call them back.
Format: under 50 words, one clear next step.
Constraints: no apology longer than one sentence; the point is the next step, not the sorry.
Tone: direct, unhurried, human.
How Do You Turn a Rough Job Description Into a Written Quote?
The gap between "I'll do it for around [whatever we said on the phone]" and a written quote a customer can actually approve is usually five minutes of typing you don't have at the end of a long day. A written quote also does something a verbal one doesn't: it gives the customer something to sit with, forward to a partner, and say yes to on their own time, instead of deciding on the spot while you're standing in their kitchen. These prompts structure that gap. They do not set the number. Leave every price as a placeholder and fill it in yourself; nothing in this post suggests a rate.
3. Standard written quote from a rough job description
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business writing a formal quote for a customer.
Task: turn the rough job description below into a clean, itemized written quote.
Job description: [PASTE YOUR NOTES OR VOICE-MEMO TRANSCRIPT]
Format: business name and date at top, itemized scope of work, what's excluded,
a line for total price marked [INSERT YOUR PRICE], and a clear next step to accept.
Constraints: do not invent any detail about the job that isn't in the description above;
leave a [BRACKET] for anything you're missing (materials, access, permit) instead of guessing.
Tone: professional, plain language, no filler.
What to change: the job description is doing all the work here. The more specific your notes, the less editing the quote needs afterward.
4. Multi-visit or multi-line-item quote
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business quoting a job with more than one stage or visit.
Task: break the job below into separate line items by stage or visit, each with its
own scope, so the customer can see what they're paying for at each step.
Job description: [PASTE YOUR NOTES]
Format: one section per stage/visit, each with scope, materials note, and a price
line marked [INSERT PRICE]; a total line at the end.
Constraints: only include stages described above; flag anything uncertain as
[CONFIRM ON SITE] rather than assuming it.
Tone: clear, sequential, easy to skim on a phone screen.
What to change: the stage breakdown. Group by what a customer would actually notice as a separate step (demo, install, finish), not by your internal task list.
What Do You Send When a Quote Goes Unanswered?
A quote that sits unread for a week rarely gets a "yes" out of nowhere. Most of the time the customer meant to reply and life got in the way, not that they decided against you. It needs one nudge, and if that doesn't land, one honest close so the job isn't sitting half-open on your list forever.
5. First follow-up on a quote, a few days later
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business following up on a quote sent [NUMBER] days ago.
Task: check in without pressure, ask if there are any questions about the quote,
and offer to adjust it if their needs have changed.
Format: under 70 words, ends with a question, not a demand.
Constraints: no discount offer, no urgency language, no guilt.
Tone: relaxed, genuinely helpful, easy to ignore without awkwardness.
6. Final follow-up before you close the file
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business sending a last follow-up on an old quote.
Task: let the customer know the quote is still valid until [DATE, or "let me know
if you'd like an updated one"], and that you'll assume they've gone another way
if you don't hear back, with no hard feelings either way.
Format: under 60 words.
Constraints: state the expiry or the assumption plainly; do not manufacture scarcity
that isn't real.
Tone: professional, no pressure, genuinely fine either way.
What to change: only use a real expiry date or a real capacity constraint. A fake deadline is the fastest way to lose trust with a customer you might quote again in six months.
How Do You Ask for a Review Without Sounding Needy?
Asking for a review is, template for template, the single highest-value thing on this page. A handful of recent, specific reviews is often the first thing a customer comparing three quotes actually reads, before they read anything you wrote yourself. Google's own review policy is explicit that offering an incentive changes the game: it states that "Offering incentives, like free or discounted goods or services, in exchange for customers to post reviews, change reviews, or remove negative reviews is considered fake & misleading content and is strictly prohibited." So the ask below never offers anything back. It just asks, honestly, the same way every time, to every customer, whether the job went perfectly or not.
7. The ask, sent right after a completed job
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business owner texting a customer right after finishing a job.
Task: thank them for the work, and ask if they'd leave a quick Google review,
including the review link: [YOUR GOOGLE REVIEW LINK].
Format: under 60 words, one link, one ask.
Constraints: no mention of a discount, gift, or incentive of any kind for leaving
a review — offering one breaks Google's own policy.
Tone: genuine, low-pressure, specific to the job just finished.
What to change: name the actual job ("the water heater swap," "the panel upgrade") instead of a generic "our services." Specificity is what makes it read like a real thank-you, not a script.
8. The ask by email, a day or two later, for jobs where texting isn't natural
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business following up by email a day or two after a job.
Task: thank the customer, briefly recap what was done ([JOB SUMMARY]), and ask
for a Google review at [YOUR GOOGLE REVIEW LINK].
Format: subject line under 50 characters, under 100 words, one link.
Constraints: no incentive offered; no pre-written review text supplied for them to copy.
Tone: personal, specific, not templated-sounding even though it is a template.
9. One gentle nudge, for the customers who didn't respond to the first ask
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business sending one follow-up review request, [NUMBER] days
after the first ask that got no response.
Task: a single short nudge, acknowledging you already asked once, making it easy
to say no by ignoring, restating the link: [YOUR GOOGLE REVIEW LINK].
Format: under 40 words.
Constraints: exactly one follow-up, then stop — do not build a repeating sequence
around a review ask.
Tone: light, no guilt, genuinely fine if they don't.
What to change: send this once, to the customers who went quiet after the first ask. Not on a schedule, and not to everyone.
How Do You Reply to a Bad Review?
The reply matters more than the review. Anyone reading a one-star review is really reading how you handled it, and a calm, specific reply often does more to reassure the next customer than the bad review does to scare them off. Two things worth knowing before you write one: Google requires your business to be verified before you can reply at all, and once you do, the reply is posted under your business name, not your personal name. Google's own help page notes that when your reply posts, "your personal name won't be shown."
10. A legitimate complaint you can actually fix or explain
Role: owner of a [YOUR TRADE] business replying publicly to a critical review.
Task: acknowledge the specific issue in the review below, briefly explain what
happened or what you're doing about it, and invite them to contact you directly
to resolve it.
Review: [PASTE THE ACTUAL REVIEW TEXT]
Format: under 100 words, no bullet points, reads like one person writing, not a
policy statement.
Constraints: do not invent any detail about the job that isn't in the review or
in what actually happened — if you don't remember the specifics, say so honestly
and ask them to reach out with the job address or invoice number.
Tone: calm, accountable, not defensive.
What to change: paste the exact review, and write your own one-line summary of what actually happened before running the prompt, so the reply doesn't guess at facts you know and the AI doesn't.
11. A review you believe is unfair, mistaken, or about a different business
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business replying to a review that appears to be a mistake or
about a different job/business.
Task: reply politely, state plainly that your records don't show this job or
customer, and invite them to contact you directly with details so you can look
into it properly.
Review: [PASTE THE ACTUAL REVIEW TEXT]
Format: under 80 words, no accusatory language.
Constraints: never accuse the reviewer of lying; state only what you can verify
(no matching job in your records) and leave the rest as a genuine invitation to
sort it out.
Tone: measured, unbothered, professional.
What Should Your Google Business Profile Description and Service Pages Actually Say?
Google's own guidelines ask business owners to "be upfront and honest about the information provided, focusing on content that's relevant and useful to your customers to understand your business." Then they draw a clear line: "Content that's irrelevant to your business or has no clear association with it isn't allowed." That rules out keyword-stuffing the description with every service you can think of, or every town within an hour's drive. The same guidelines apply to how you name and categorize the business generally, warning specifically against using categories "solely as keywords" rather than as an accurate description of what you actually do. In other words, Google is asking for the same plain, honest description a customer standing in front of you would want, not a wall of search terms.
Service pages on your own website work the same way, just in more words: name the actual service and the actual area, in the words a customer searching would use, not a vague "solutions" page. "Emergency drain unblocking in [Your Town]" beats "Drainage Services" every time a real person is the one reading it, and it's an honest description of what you actually do rather than a guess at what a search box wants.
12. Google Business Profile description
Role: owner of a [YOUR TRADE] business writing the Business Profile description.
Task: write a description covering what the business does, the area it serves,
how long it's operated, and one thing that genuinely sets it apart.
Details: [SERVICES OFFERED], [AREA SERVED], [YEARS IN BUSINESS OR FOUNDING STORY],
[ONE DIFFERENTIATOR, e.g. same-day callouts, one owner-operator on every job].
Format: under 700 words is generous — aim for 3-4 tight sentences; Google shows
you the character count as you type, so let that be the hard stop.
Constraints: no promotional language ("best in town," "unbeatable prices"), no
service or area not actually offered, no discount or promotion copy — that
belongs in Posts, not the description.
Tone: plain, factual, written like you're telling a neighbor what you do.
13. One service page for your website
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business writing one website page for a single service.
Task: write a page for [SPECIFIC SERVICE, e.g. "boiler repair"] naming the exact
work included, roughly how it usually goes from first contact to finish, and what
a customer should have ready before calling.
Format: 300-500 words, one clear heading naming the service, a short FAQ section
of 2-3 questions a customer would actually ask.
Constraints: no price, no guaranteed timeframe, no claim about licensing or
insurance beyond what you can state factually — see the note on that below.
Tone: helpful, specific, written for someone who has never called a [YOUR TRADE]
business before.
14. A service + area page
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business writing a page for one service in one specific area.
Task: write a page for [SERVICE] in [SPECIFIC TOWN OR NEIGHBORHOOD], naming the
area directly, mentioning any genuinely local detail (older housing stock,
common issue in that area, typical response time from your base), and a clear
way to contact.
Format: 250-400 words.
Constraints: only write pages for areas you actually serve; do not invent local
detail you can't back up.
Tone: specific, grounded, not a copy-pasted template with the town name swapped in.
How Do You Handle Appointment Reminders and Running-Late Messages?
Two short messages cover most of this: the reminder before, and the heads-up when you're running behind. Neither one needs to be clever. A customer who gets a heads-up text about a delay is generally far more forgiving than one left wondering whether you're coming at all.
15. Appointment reminder, sent the day before
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business sending an appointment reminder.
Task: remind the customer of their appointment for [SERVICE] on [DATE] at
[TIME WINDOW], and what to have ready (access, pets secured, etc.).
Format: under 50 words.
Constraints: state the time as a window, not an exact minute, unless you can
actually guarantee it.
Tone: friendly, brief, practical.
16. Running-late message, sent in the moment
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business running behind on a scheduled appointment.
Task: let the customer know you're running about [NUMBER] minutes late, apologize
briefly, and give a realistic new arrival window.
Format: under 40 words, one apology sentence maximum.
Constraints: only give a time you can actually hit; a second late message is worse
than one accurate one.
Tone: direct, not over-apologetic.
How Do You Write a Job-Completion Summary Customers Actually Read?
A short, specific note after the job closes the loop, gives the customer something to reference if a question comes up later, and sets up the review ask above naturally: send the summary, then the review request, a day or so apart, rather than bundling both into one message.
17. Customer-facing job summary
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business writing a summary after finishing a job.
Task: summarize what was done, using the raw notes below, in a way a non-expert
customer can understand and refer back to.
Raw notes: [PASTE YOUR JOB NOTES]
Format: under 120 words, plain language, no trade jargon without a one-word
explanation next to it.
Constraints: do not add anything to the summary that isn't in the raw notes.
Tone: clear, reassuring, no sales pitch attached.
18. Internal note for your own records (warranty and follow-up reference)
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business writing an internal job record.
Task: turn the raw notes below into a structured record: what was done, parts
used, any warranty terms that apply, and anything to flag for a future visit.
Raw notes: [PASTE YOUR JOB NOTES]
Format: short structured sections, not prose — parts, warranty, follow-up flag.
Constraints: warranty terms must be [YOUR ACTUAL TERMS] — this is not legal advice,
and warranty language is your jurisdiction's rules, not a template's.
Tone: factual, internal, no customer-facing phrasing.
How Do You Chase an Unpaid Invoice Without Burning the Relationship?
Most overdue invoices are forgetfulness, not refusal. The invoice got buried in an inbox, or the person who approves payment was out that week. Two prompts, in order: the polite reminder that assumes good faith, and the firmer one for when that doesn't work.
19. First reminder, a few days after the due date
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business sending a first payment reminder.
Task: remind the customer that invoice [INVOICE NUMBER] for [SERVICE/JOB], due
[DUE DATE], hasn't been paid yet, and ask if there's anything blocking it.
Format: under 70 words.
Constraints: assume good faith — no late fee mentioned unless one genuinely
applies and you've told them about it before.
Tone: friendly, matter-of-fact, no accusation.
20. Firm follow-up, when the first reminder gets no response
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business sending a firmer payment reminder after a first
reminder went unanswered.
Task: restate the outstanding invoice [INVOICE NUMBER], the amount, and the due
date, ask directly for a payment date, and state clearly what happens next if
there's no response by [DATE] — only if that's actually your real next step.
Format: under 90 words, no threats you won't follow through on.
Constraints: state only consequences you're actually prepared to enforce; a
threat that doesn't follow through is worse than no threat at all.
Tone: firm, professional, not hostile.
When Should You Send Seasonal or Weather-Driven Outreach?
The businesses on this list live and die by the calendar and the forecast: the message before the first freeze, the message when a storm is coming, the reminder before the busy season starts. Sent at the right moment, this kind of message reads as useful, not promotional, because it's tied to something the customer is already thinking about. Two prompts cover most of it.
21. Seasonal maintenance reminder
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business sending a seasonal reminder to past customers.
Task: remind past customers that [SEASONAL SERVICE, e.g. "gutter clearing before
the first frost"] is worth booking now, before the season's rush.
Format: under 80 words, one clear call to action (reply, call, or book link).
Constraints: no fabricated urgency ("only 2 slots left!") unless it's literally
true.
Tone: helpful, practical, not salesy.
22. Weather-emergency outreach
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business messaging past or local customers ahead of severe
weather ([WEATHER EVENT, e.g. a storm, a cold snap, a heatwave]).
Task: a short, genuinely useful message — what to check or do before the
weather hits, and how to reach you if something goes wrong.
Format: under 70 words.
Constraints: give real, specific advice relevant to your trade (checking a sump
pump before heavy rain, insulating exposed pipes before a freeze) — no generic
filler.
Tone: calm, useful, not fear-based.
How Do You Turn Job Photos Into a Social Post?
Finished-job photos are the easiest content a trade business has and the most under-used. Most trades already take a before/after photo for their own reference and never do anything else with it. Two prompts turn that same phone photo into a post in under two minutes.
23. Single before/after post
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business posting a before/after job photo.
Task: write a short caption for a before/after photo of [JOB TYPE] in [AREA,
optional], describing what changed in plain terms.
Format: under 60 words, 2-3 relevant hashtags maximum.
Constraints: describe only what the photo actually shows; no invented backstory.
Tone: proud but understated, not a sales pitch.
24. Weekly roundup post from a few finished jobs
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business posting a roundup of the week's finished jobs.
Task: write one short post covering [NUMBER] jobs this week ([BRIEF LIST OF
JOB TYPES]), tying them together as "a look at the week" rather than a job list.
Format: under 100 words, casual, one photo per job implied.
Constraints: only include jobs you have the customer's okay to show, especially
if the property or address is identifiable.
Tone: casual, behind-the-scenes, genuinely interesting to scroll past.
25. Caption for a single striking "problem found" photo
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business posting a photo of something notable found on a job
(damage, wear, an unusual setup).
Task: write a caption explaining what the photo shows and why it matters, without
naming the customer or exact address.
Format: under 70 words.
Constraints: no customer-identifying detail; no scare-tactic language about
what "could have happened."
Tone: informative, a little bit "you won't believe what we found."
26. Reply to a customer who shares your post or tags you
Role: [YOUR TRADE] business replying to a customer who shared or tagged you in
a social post about a job you did.
Task: a short, genuine thank-you reply that references the specific job.
Format: under 30 words.
Constraints: reference the actual job; no generic "thanks for the support!"
Tone: warm, brief, real.
A Note on Licensing, Insurance, and Local Rules
Nothing in this post is legal advice, and none of the prompts above set your licence terms, insurance disclosures, or warranty language for you. Every prompt that touches those areas leaves a bracket for [YOUR ACTUAL TERMS] on purpose. What you're licensed to say, what you're required to disclose, and how long a warranty has to run are your jurisdiction's rules, not a template's. Check with whoever handles your licensing and insurance before publishing wording you generated, especially anything that goes on your website or Google Business Profile permanently and stays there for years.
Does the Free Plan Cover This?
Mostly, yes, for occasional use. Every prompt above is plain text. It runs in ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini with no extra tool at all, exactly as written. Prompt Architects is an optional layer on top: a Chrome extension that puts a structured-prompt sidebar inside the AI chat you already have open, so you're filling in brackets from a sidebar instead of retyping a whole prompt from a notes app every time.
The Free plan gives 5 architected prompt generations a day, forever, no credit card required, and it works the same way inside ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini through the Chrome extension. That's enough to run a handful of the templates above on a slower day. What Free doesn't include: saving your own copies as a reusable template with tags and search, or a personal context library where you'd store your business name, service area, and standard terms once so every prompt uses them automatically instead of you retyping the same details each time. Those are Pro-plan features, at $4.99/month at the time of writing (verify current pricing on /pricing, since it's on a launch discount that won't run forever). For a one-person trade business running these templates a few times a week rather than building a shared library, Free may genuinely be enough. Pro earns its keep once you're reusing the same three or four templates every week and don't want to hunt for them, or once your team is more than one person and needs to reuse the same brief.
Stop rewriting prompts. Start shipping.
Works with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Midjourney, Ideogram, Veo3 & Kling. 4.8★ on the Chrome Web Store.
Create An AccountSpeed on enquiries, honesty on reviews, and a price bracket instead of a guessed number wherever a number belongs. That's most of what separates a template that gets used from one that gets abandoned after the first try. Copy what's useful, delete what isn't, and keep the ones you actually reach for every week somewhere you can find them again at six in the evening, with one hand still on a toolbox.