Capability template for customer support and service
Complaint and refund request handling
A customer complains or asks for money back, and whoever handles it gets your policy's answer: the order matched, each condition checked, the amount worked out, any refund set out for a named person to approve, and a reply ready to edit and send.
The outcome
Every complaint is settled the way your written policy says, whoever picks it up. The handler sees which clause applies to each item, whether each condition is met, and the exact amount, with the arithmetic shown. Any refund, credit or replacement is written out as a request for the person allowed to approve it, and marked as not yet issued. The reply opens with the outcome. Where the policy says no, the reply says no too, names the clause, and puts forward the option the policy leaves open.
Nothing goes beyond the policy. A request it does not cover, such as a goodwill gesture, becomes a question for the owner rather than a promise. The AI assistant issues no refund, sends no reply and closes no ticket. It also checks your complaint log, so a problem that keeps coming back, such as one item that keeps arriving broken, reaches the owner while it is still a handful of orders.
Who starts the work, and when
The owner, the service lead or a member of the service team starts it when a customer writes in about an order: something arrived damaged, late or not as expected, or they want a refund, a replacement or a credit. It runs once for each complaint, and again if the customer replies with something new. The handler checks the facts, edits the reply and sends it. Whoever your settings name approves any money before the reply says it has moved.
What they supply
- The customer's message, and a description of any photo or attachment.
- The order rows from your shop or order system, as an export or pasted in.
- Your written refund and return policy, with its date.
- Your recent complaint log, if you keep one.
- Your tone guide, or two or three past replies the owner liked.
- Who may approve which amounts, and anything the owner has already decided about this complaint.
What comes out
- What the customer reports and asks for, point by point, each problem marked as confirmed by the inputs, confirmed in part, or not shown.
- The order and the policy check: each condition, the fact behind it, and whether it is met, with one overall result.
- The amount, worked from the order lines, and what is left out and why.
- For approval: each refund, credit or replacement with its approver, not issued. A decline shows no approval request at all.
- The draft reply, with any missing fact marked at the sentence it affects.
- Before and after sending: what to do first, what to confirm, questions for the owner, the repeat check, and the line to add to the complaint log.
A good result can be checked against the policy and the order in two minutes.
An invented example
Illustrative example with invented data. The shop, the customer, the people, the orders, the policy and every document below are invented. Shop H is an invented online shop that sells handmade ceramic tableware; Ana owns it and Dev is its service lead. First come the inputs Dev supplied, in full, then what the capability returned.
The inputs
1. The customer's message
Channel: email. Received Monday 2 November 2026, 09:05.
From: Marta <marta@example.com>
Subject: Order H-20931 - chipped bowl, wrong colour mugs
Hi,
My order came on Wednesday. The large serving bowl has a big chip on the
rim, photo attached. And the mugs are a much darker green than on your
website, nothing like the photos.
I'd like a full refund for the whole order, shipping included. Honestly
I think something for the trouble would be fair too.
Marta
2. The order record (shop export, taken Monday 2 November 2026, 10:15)
order_id,order_date,customer_email,item,quantity,line_total,payment_method,delivered_date,refunded_to_date,dispute_open
H-19877,2026-07-02,marta@example.com,Small plate,2,36.00,card ending 4417,2026-07-06,0.00,no
H-19877,2026-07-02,marta@example.com,Shipping,1,6.50,card ending 4417,2026-07-06,0.00,no
H-20931,2026-10-24,marta@example.com,Speckled mug (set of 4),1,72.00,card ending 4417,2026-10-28,0.00,no
H-20931,2026-10-24,marta@example.com,Large serving bowl,1,58.00,card ending 4417,2026-10-28,0.00,no
H-20931,2026-10-24,marta@example.com,Shipping,1,9.50,card ending 4417,2026-10-28,0.00,no
3. The refund and return policy (RP-3, dated 1 August 2026)
R1. Change of mind. Return unused items within 30 days of delivery for a
refund of the item price. You pay the return postage.
R2. Damaged or faulty on arrival. Tell us within 14 days of delivery and
send a photo. We refund the item in full or send a replacement, your
choice. You don't need to send it back.
R3. Shipping is refunded only when a whole order is refunded under R2.
R4. Our glazes are mixed by hand. Colour that differs from the photos is
not a fault; those items can be returned under R1.
R5. Refunds go back to the original payment method.
R6. Goodwill gestures, and anything this policy does not list, are
decided by the owner.
4. The complaint log (export, last 40 days)
date,order_id,category,summary
2026-09-28,H-20390,Damaged in transit,Mug handle broken
2026-10-09,H-20544,Damaged in transit,Serving bowl chipped at rim
2026-10-15,H-20612,Late delivery,Arrived 4 days after estimate
2026-10-21,H-20702,Damaged in transit,Large serving bowl cracked
2026-10-27,H-20811,Colour not as pictured,Mugs darker than photos
5. The tone guide (TG-1, dated 1 September 2026)
1. First names. Sign off "Dev, Shop H".
2. The outcome first.
3. When we got it wrong, apologize once, for the specific thing.
4. Never "unfortunately" or "any inconvenience". No exclamation marks.
5. Email: under 170 words.
6. Settings
Today: Monday 2 November 2026. Currency: USD.
Approvals: Dev (service lead) may approve refunds up to USD 100.00 per
order. Above that, Ana (owner).
Escalation role and safety role: Ana (owner). A holding acknowledgement
may be drafted.
Repeat window: 30 days. Repeat count: 3.
7. Dev's notes
Photo came with the email: it shows a chip about 2 cm long on the rim of
the bowl. Nothing issued yet. Ana hasn't seen this one.
The output
COMPLAINT AND REFUND REQUEST: Marta, order H-20931, email of Monday
2 November 2026
Status: Prepared for Dev. Not sent, not refunded. Decision needed first
from Ana (owner): Marta asks for something for the trouble, which R6
leaves to the owner.
Received: email, Monday 2 November 2026, 09:05. Policy: RP-3, 1 August
2026. Order record as of Monday 2 November 2026, 10:15. Today: Monday
2 November 2026.
Customer: returning: 1 earlier order in the record (H-19877); 0 earlier
complaints in the log, matched by order id.
WHAT THE CUSTOMER REPORTS AND ASKS FOR
1. "The large serving bowl has a big chip on the rim, photo attached."
Confirmed in part by Dev's note on the photo: a chip about 2 cm long
on the rim. That it was there on arrival rests on Marta's account.
2. "The mugs are a much darker green than on your website, nothing like
the photos." Not shown in the inputs.
3. "A full refund for the whole order, shipping included." Asks for:
refund of USD 139.50.
4. "Something for the trouble." Asks for: a goodwill gesture.
THE ORDER
Matched by: order number in the message.
Speckled mug (set of 4), qty 1, USD 72.00, delivered 28 October 2026,
refunded so far USD 0.00
Large serving bowl, qty 1, USD 58.00, delivered 28 October 2026,
refunded so far USD 0.00
Shipping, qty 1, USD 9.50, delivered 28 October 2026, refunded so far
USD 0.00
Paid by: card ending 4417. Open card dispute: no.
POLICY CHECK
R2, bowl: damaged on arrival, reported within 14 days of delivery, with
a photo. Delivered Wednesday 28 October, reported Monday 2 November:
day 5 of 14, last day Wednesday 11 November (order record; message).
Photo supplied (Dev's note). That the chip was there on arrival is
Marta's account; R2 asks for no more than the report and the photo.
Met.
R4, mugs: colour that differs from the photos is not a fault. The
complaint about the mugs is their colour against the website photos
(message). Met, so R2 does not apply to the mugs; R4 points them to
R1.
R1, mugs: unused, returned within 30 days of delivery. Delivered
28 October, so the last day is Friday 27 November 2026 (order
record). Not known: whether the mugs are unused; they have not been
returned.
R3, shipping: refunded only when the whole order is refunded under R2.
Only the bowl falls under R2. Not met.
R5, bowl: a refund goes to the original payment method. Card ending
4417 (order record). Met.
R6, something for the trouble: goodwill is decided by the owner. Not
known: Ana has not seen this complaint (Dev's note).
Result: Partly within policy.
Remedy allowed: refund of the bowl in full, or a replacement, at
Marta's choice; she asks for a refund (R2, Large serving bowl).
Alternative offered by the policy: return the mugs unused by Friday
27 November 2026 for a refund of USD 72.00, Marta paying the return
postage (R1 and R4, Speckled mug set).
AMOUNT
Large serving bowl USD 58.00 - refunded so far USD 0.00 = USD 58.00
Not included: Shipping, USD 9.50 (R3). Speckled mug (set of 4),
USD 72.00 (R1: only once returned unused; not proposed now).
Something for the trouble (R6: the owner's decision).
FOR APPROVAL (NOT ISSUED)
Refund: USD 58.00, order H-20931, to card ending 4417, under R2 and R5.
Approver: Dev (service lead, up to USD 100.00 per order).
Exception: None proposed. The owner may choose one; the reply is then
redrafted.
DRAFT REPLY
Subject: Re: Order H-20931 - chipped bowl, wrong colour mugs
Hi Marta,
I've refunded the USD 58.00 for the large serving bowl to your card
ending 4417. I'm sorry it reached you chipped. You don't need to send
it back.
On the mugs: our glazes are mixed by hand, so their colour can differ
from the photos on our website, and we don't treat that as a fault. If
they're unused, you can return them by Friday 27 November for a refund
of USD 72.00. The return postage is yours to cover. [Note: the return
address and how to start a return are not in the inputs. Add them here
before sending.]
Shipping is refunded only when a whole order is refunded as damaged or
faulty on arrival, so the USD 9.50 stays as it is.
Dev, Shop H
BEFORE SENDING
Do first: Dev approves and issues the USD 58.00 refund on order H-20931
to card ending 4417. The reply says it has been refunded.
Confirm: Monday 2 November is day 5 after delivery on Wednesday
28 October 2026, inside R2's 14 days; Friday 27 November 2026 is day
30, the last day under R1. Check the delivery date in the shop. The
return address and the way to start a return, for the bracketed note.
Questions for Ana: Marta asks for "something for the trouble". R6
leaves goodwill to you. Do you want to offer anything? If so, say
what, and the reply is redrafted before it goes.
Not said, and why: anything for the trouble (R6, waiting on Ana); the
replacement bowl R2 also allows (Marta asks for a refund); how long
the refund takes to reach the card (RP-3 gives no period).
Tone check: TG-1. Rule 1: first name, signed "Dev, Shop H". Rule 2: the
refund opens the reply. Rule 3: one apology, for the chipped bowl.
Rule 4: no barred words, no exclamation marks. Rule 5: 109 words from
the greeting to the sign-off, not counting the subject line or the
bracketed note, against a limit of 170.
REPEAT CHECK
Damaged in transit: 3 in the 30 days to 2 November 2026, including this
one (H-20544, H-20702, H-20931). Question for Ana: all three are
serving bowls (chipped at the rim, cracked, chipped at the rim). Is it
worth looking at how serving bowls are packed?
Colour not as pictured: 2 in the 30 days to 2 November 2026, including
this one (H-20811, H-20931). No repeat flagged.
AFTER SENDING
Complaint log line for the handler to add: 2026-11-02, H-20931, Damaged
in transit, Large serving bowl chipped at rim; refund USD 58.00 under
R2.
Complaint log line for the handler to add: 2026-11-02, H-20931, Colour
not as pictured, Mugs darker than photos; return under R1 offered.
Follow-up: Ana's answer on goodwill, then a redraft if she offers
anything (Dev). If the mugs come back by Friday 27 November 2026, Dev
checks they are unused and prepares the USD 72.00 refund under R1 for
approval (Dev).
Prepared for Dev. Nothing has been sent, refunded, credited or recorded
by the assistant.
Not completed, and what is needed: the return address and how to start
a return (from Dev); whether to offer anything for the trouble (Ana's
decision).
The log entry of 28 September falls outside the 30-day window, so it is not counted. From here the decisions are people's: Ana decides on goodwill, and Dev adds the return address, approves and issues the bowl refund, and sends the reply himself.
Where it fits
- Customer support and service, where refunds and complaints are the hardest messages in the queue.
- E-commerce and retail, for damaged parcels, returns windows and items that do not match the photos.
- Hospitality, where a guest asks for money back after a stay, a meal or a booking that went wrong.
- Established businesses, which have a written policy and want every complaint handled by it.
What has to change for your company
Write the refund and return policy down, give each clause a number, and name its owner; the capability adds no terms of its own. Set who may approve which amounts, and who takes the complaints that mention a lawyer, a regulator, a card dispute or an injury. Keep a complaint log with a few fixed categories, and choose the window and the count that make a repeat worth raising. Check that your order export carries the default columns, or tell the assistant your own; for a stay, a meal or a booking, the order record is the booking or the bill, one row per charge, with the date of the stay or visit in place of the delivery date. Decide which customer details the assistant may be shown, on ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini. It works from what you paste or upload and needs no connection to your payment system or shop.
What has been checked
Fully Powered AI wrote this capability template. It was editorially reviewed on 9 November 2026. It was tried twice on its invented example in Claude on 9 November 2026; the record of the second run, on the instructions as revised after the first, is published with the template. It has not yet been tested in a client environment. It has not yet been tested as a packaged version in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini.
Testing in your environment means running it on past complaints your team has already settled, plus hard cases written in advance, each with its expected behavior: a request outside the returns window, two orders that could be the one, an open card dispute, a request your policy says nothing about. Pilot acceptance-test preparation builds that test set, and What we test before we call an AI workflow ready shows the record.
The full capability template
Everything above is the outline. The complete capability template is the working version: the roles, the inputs, the procedure, the exceptions and stop conditions, the output format, the reviewer checklist, the acceptance tests, the instructions for an AI assistant and what to customize for your company. It comes with a download and the link to its folder in Fully Powered’s public repository.
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Next step
Bring a real piece of this work to a call. We’ll walk through what it takes to fit this capability to your rules, prove it on your work and put it in the hands of the roles that own it.