The library · Accountancy firms · Enquiries and follow-up

Reply to a new enquiry

Enquiries arrive with a deadline attached and a question about what to do. A fast, friendly reply wins the client, and the firm has checks to complete before it can act or advise.

The prompt
I work in marketing at an accountancy firm. Help me reply to a new enquiry quickly.

Context: Enquiries arrive with a deadline attached and a question about what to do. A fast, friendly reply wins the client, and the firm has checks to complete before it can act or advise.

Before you start, ask me for anything missing from this list:
- The enquiry
- What we need to know before we can help
- How to book a first conversation

Then:
1. Reply to what they asked, in their words.
2. Ask only for what we need next.
3. Offer a clear next step with times.

Give me:
- The reply, under 120 words
- Questions to ask on the first call

Rules:
- Use only the facts I give you. Where something is missing, write [detail needed]. Never invent a number, a name, a quote or a source.
- Give general information only. Never write anything that reads as tax advice on a person's own affairs, and never suggest a tax saving or an outcome with HMRC is likely or guaranteed.
- Write in plain English, in our voice if I have given you a sample.
- Do not tell me what the rules or regulations say. If something may be restricted, flag it and I will check.

Finish with a list headed "Check before this goes out". Include these, plus anything else the partner who approves marketing or our ethics and compliance lead should see:
- That nothing in the reply is advice on their tax position
- Identity and anti-money-laundering checks before any work begins
- Fees quoted, against the current price list and its assumptions

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot. It will ask you for what it needs.

Check before this goes out

  • That nothing in the reply is advice on their tax position
  • Identity and anti-money-laundering checks before any work begins
  • Fees quoted, against the current price list and its assumptions

The prompt gives you a first draft. Someone qualified still approves anything a client will read.

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