Catch replies that break your policy before they go

Fields

• Customer's latest message, with the thread before it
• Draft reply
• Template the agent started from (empty if none)

Questions

1. What should happen to this draft reply before it is sent? Choice

   Treat the draft as a reply an agent is about to send to this customer. Judge it against our reply policy as a whole: answer what the customer asked; leave no template text unfilled; never promise or approve a refund or concession; commit to no date beyond two working days; never accept fault or offer to cover costs; never ask for or include card numbers, security codes or passwords; include no other customer's details; quote the case reference on an existing case; stay respectful.

   • Send as is The reply breaks no rule of the policy and has no other problem worth stopping for.
   • Minor edit needed The reply breaks no rule, but has a wording or completeness problem the agent can fix alone, such as a missing case reference.
   • Supervisor approval needed The reply makes a commitment or concession reserved for approval, and breaks no other rule.
   • Do not send The reply answers a different question, asks for or exposes data it should not, refers to another customer, accepts fault on the company's behalf, or breaks a rule outright.

2. Does the draft reply answer what the customer asked in their latest message? Yes / No

   Compare the draft with the customer's latest message. Judge whether the reply engages with the request, not whether its answer is correct. A refusal counts when it gives a specific reason. Yes: The reply answers, acts on, or specifically declines what the customer asked. No: The reply answers a different question, or is generic text that engages with no particular request.

3. Does the template the draft was built from fit the customer's question? Choice

   Compare the template name and the draft with what the customer asked.

   • Fits The template is about what the customer asked, and the draft adapts it to this customer.
   • Right topic, needs editing The template is about the right topic, but parts of the draft do not apply to this customer.
   • Wrong template The template is about a different question from the one the customer asked.
   • No template named The template field is empty.

4. Does the draft reply still contain unfilled template text? Yes / No

   Our rule: no template text goes out unfilled. Look for merge tokens in braces or brackets such as {first_name} or [AMOUNT], notes to self, words like TODO, TBD or XXX, and filler text. Yes: At least one unfilled placeholder or piece of filler text remains. No: No unfilled placeholder or filler text remains.

5. Does the draft reply promise or approve a refund, credit, discount or other concession? Yes / No

   Our rule: agents may not promise or approve a refund, a credit, a goodwill payment, a discount, a waived charge or free time. They may say a refund or concession has been requested or passed to the team that decides, never that it is approved or on its way. Yes: The reply states or implies that a refund, credit, payment, discount, waiver or free time is approved, agreed or on its way. No: No such promise appears. Saying a refund has been requested or passed to another team is allowed.

6. Does the draft reply commit to a resolution date or deadline other than a reply within two working days? Yes / No

   Our rule: agents may not commit to a date by which something will be resolved, paid or delivered. The only timescale they may give is that the team will respond within two working days. Yes: The reply names a day, a date or a deadline by which something will be resolved, paid or delivered for this customer. No: No such commitment appears, or the only timescale given is the permitted reply within two working days.

7. Does the draft reply accept fault for the company or offer to cover the customer's costs? Yes / No

   Our rule: agents must not accept fault for the company, call it negligent or to blame, or say the company will cover a cost the customer has incurred. Apologising for the customer's experience is allowed and is not an admission. Yes: The reply accepts fault, blames the company, or offers to cover a loss. No: The reply expresses regret or acknowledgement without accepting fault or offering to cover a loss.

8. Does the draft reply ask the customer to send a full card number, security code, password or one-time code? Yes / No

   Our rule: never ask a customer to send a full card number, a card security code, a PIN, a password or a one-time passcode by email or chat, in any words. Asking for the last four digits of a card is allowed. Yes: The reply asks the customer to send any of these, however it describes them. No: The reply asks for none of these.

9. Does the draft reply include the value of a full card number, security code, password or full bank account number? Yes / No

   Our rule: a reply never includes a full payment card number, a card security code, a password, a one-time passcode or a full bank account number or IBAN. Card and account references use the last four digits only. Yes: At least one such value appears in the reply. No: No such value appears. Last four digits on their own are allowed. Naming such a detail or asking for it is not a value; the question on asking for secrets records that.

10. Does the draft reply mention a name, address, account, order or case that belongs to someone other than this customer? Yes / No

    Our rule: a reply contains only this customer's details. Compare the names, addresses, account numbers, orders and case references in the draft with the customer's message. Count details that plainly belong to another person or case, or two sets of details that do not hang together, as in a reply pasted from another thread. Do not count the agent's or the company's own details. Yes: The reply contains another person's details, or details that do not match this customer's message. No: Every detail in the reply fits this customer, or the reply contains no personal details.

11. Does the draft reply quote the case reference, when it is about an existing case? Choice

    Our rule: a reply about an existing case must quote its case reference, written as CS- followed by five digits. Treat the reply as about an existing case when the customer's message or the draft refers to an earlier contact, case or reference.

    • Reference quoted The reply is about an existing case and quotes a reference in the form CS- followed by five digits.
    • Reference missing The reply is about an existing case, and no reference in that form appears in the draft.
    • No existing case Nothing in the message or the draft shows the reply concerns a case already raised.

12. Is the draft reply respectful towards the customer? Yes / No

    Our rule: replies are courteous and never dismissive, sarcastic, blaming or insulting towards the customer. A plain or brief reply is fine. Yes: The reply is respectful throughout. No: The reply is dismissive, sarcastic, blaming or insulting.

Lens columns

send_decision, send_decision_probability, addresses_request, addresses_request_probability, template_fit, template_fit_probability, unfilled_placeholder, unfilled_placeholder_probability, concession_promised, concession_promised_probability, resolution_date_committed, resolution_date_committed_probability, fault_admitted, fault_admitted_probability, asks_for_secrets, asks_for_secrets_probability, secrets_in_reply, secrets_in_reply_probability, other_customer_details, other_customer_details_probability, case_reference, case_reference_probability, tone_appropriate, tone_appropriate_probability