The library · Accountancy firms · Reviews and reputation

Reply to a bad review

Complaints are usually about a penalty, a late filing, a surprise bill or slow replies. The firm cannot set out its side, because the client's affairs are confidential.

The prompt
I work in marketing at an accountancy firm. Help me reply to a negative review calmly.

Context: Complaints are usually about a penalty, a late filing, a surprise bill or slow replies. The firm cannot set out its side, because the client's affairs are confidential.

Before you start, ask me for anything missing from this list:
- The review
- What we know about what happened
- Our complaints process

Then:
1. Acknowledge the experience without arguing the facts.
2. Say nothing that confirms or reveals details about the person.
3. Offer a named contact and a private route.

Give me:
- The public reply, under 80 words
- A private follow-up message
- Notes for whoever handles the complaint

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 reveals the person's affairs or whose fault a penalty was
- The complaints procedure, quoted as written
- A partner's approval, and whether insurers need to know first

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

Check before this goes out

  • That nothing reveals the person's affairs or whose fault a penalty was
  • The complaints procedure, quoted as written
  • A partner's approval, and whether insurers need to know first

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

Is AI already loose in your firm?

Ten questions, three minutes. The AI Exposure Check shows where you're exposed and what to fix first.

Take the free check →