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An effective AI prompt for a contractor states who you are, the situation, the facts the answer must use, the format, and what it must not do. Copy the templates below into ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude, replace the capitalized placeholders with your own details, and leave customer names, addresses and phone numbers out. Then check every number, promise and claim before you send the result to anyone.
Key takeaways
- Every prompt here follows one shape: role, situation, facts, format, limits.
- Replace the CAPITALIZED placeholders. Never paste in customer names, addresses or payment details.
- The facts you supply are the only facts you can rely on. Anything the AI adds needs checking.
- Do not ask an AI to write reviews, before-and-after claims or credentials you can't prove.
- Save the prompts that work in a shared document so the whole office uses the same wording.
These prompts work in any general chat assistant. Each one is written so you can paste it, swap the capitalized placeholders for your details, and get a usable first draft. After each prompt is a short note on what to check, because the draft is only as good as the facts you gave it. If you haven't set up an AI account for the business yet, start with our guide on using ChatGPT in a contracting business, which covers privacy settings first.
Strip out customer names, street addresses, phone numbers, emails, card details and gate or alarm codes. Read the data policy of the tool you're using. Google's privacy hub for its Gemini apps is one example: it states that people review a portion of chats and tells users to keep confidential material out of them.
What makes a contractor prompt work?
Five parts, in this order: who you are, what happened, the facts it must use, what you want back, and what it must not do. The last part matters most. AI assistants try to please, so without limits they add apologies, discounts, guarantees and adjectives you never approved. A short "do not" list removes most of the cleanup.
A reusable opener you can put at the top of any request:
I own a [TRADE] company with [NUMBER] employees serving [TOWNS OR REGION]. Write in plain, short sentences, like a tradesperson talking to a homeowner. No sales language, no exclamation marks, no promises I haven't stated. If you need a fact I haven't given you, ask me instead of guessing.
Prompts for quotes and scopes of work
Turn walkthrough notes into a scope of work.
Here are my notes from a site visit for a [SERVICE] job: [PASTE NOTES WITH NO CUSTOMER DETAILS]. Rewrite them as a numbered scope of work a homeowner can follow. One line per task. Use only the tasks, materials and quantities in my notes. After the list, give me a separate list of anything in my notes that is unclear or missing.
Check: every material and quantity matches your notes. The "unclear or missing" list is often the most useful part, because it catches the thing you forgot to measure.
Write three package options from one price list.
I'm quoting a [SERVICE] job. My three options and prices are: GOOD: [ITEMS] at [PRICE]. BETTER: [ITEMS] at [PRICE]. BEST: [ITEMS] at [PRICE]. Write a short description of each option for the quote, explaining what the customer gets and who each option suits. Do not change prices or add items.
Check: prices are exactly yours and no item crept in. Building the tiers themselves is covered in the three-option quote guide.
Explain an exclusion without sounding defensive.
My quote excludes [EXCLUSION, FOR EXAMPLE HIDDEN ROT BEHIND SIDING]. Write two sentences for the quote explaining what is excluded, why, and what happens if we find it during the job: [YOUR ACTUAL CHANGE-ORDER PROCESS].
Check: the process described is the one you follow, and the wording doesn't sound like a legal disclaimer you haven't had reviewed.
Prompts for customer texts and emails
Weather delay text.
Write a text under 300 characters telling a customer their [SERVICE] appointment on [DAY] is moving to [NEW DAY] because of [REASON]. Price and scope are unchanged. Sign it from [FIRST NAME] at [COMPANY]. One apology at most. No discount.
Reply to an upset email.
A customer sent this email (names removed): [PASTE]. Summarize what they want in one sentence. Then draft a reply that acknowledges the problem, states what we will do: [YOUR DECISION], and offers a phone call. Keep it under 150 words. Do not admit fault beyond what I've stated and do not offer anything I haven't listed.
Check: the reply commits only to your decision. For anything involving damage, injury or a refund dispute, read our guide on handling customer complaints and pick up the phone before sending anything.
Quote follow-up.
I sent a quote for [SERVICE] [NUMBER] days ago and haven't heard back. Write a short, low-pressure follow-up text that asks if they have questions and mentions [ONE TRUE DETAIL, FOR EXAMPLE OUR NEXT OPEN WEEK IS MAY 12]. No fake urgency.
Marketing texts sent to people who haven't agreed to them raise legal questions. The TCPA guide explains consent and opt-out wording.
Prompts for review replies
Draft a reply to this Google review: [PASTE REVIEW]. Thank them by first name only if it appears in the review. Mention the service they named. Two to three sentences. Do not mention any private details about the job, address or price.
Draft a calm reply to this negative review: [PASTE REVIEW]. Our side, in brief: [FACTS]. Do not argue point by point. Invite them to call [OFFICE NUMBER]. Under 80 words.
Check: the reply contains nothing a customer would consider private, and nothing you can't back up. One firm line: don't ask an AI to write reviews of your business. Federal rules finalized in 2024 ban fake reviews, and when the FTC announced them it cited AI-generated fake reviews as an example.
Prompts for website and listing copy
I'm writing a service page about [SERVICE] in [TOWN OR REGION]. Here are the facts: what we do [STEPS], equipment [LIST], how long it takes [TIME], what customers ask most [QUESTIONS]. Write an outline with headings and the questions each section should answer. Do not write the full page yet.
Here is my draft service page: [PASTE]. Point out sentences that are vague, repeated or could appear on any competitor's site. Suggest a specific replacement for each, using only facts already in the draft or questions for me to answer.
Check: no invented credentials, years in business, awards or statistics. Our guide to AI for website content explains what Google says about AI-written pages and how to keep yours useful.
Prompts for the office and hiring
Job ad.
Write a job ad for a [ROLE] at a [TRADE] company. Pay: [RANGE]. Schedule: [HOURS AND SEASON]. Must have: [REQUIREMENTS]. Nice to have: [LIST]. What the day looks like: [DESCRIPTION]. Plain language, under 250 words, no clichés about family or rockstars.
Standard operating procedure.
Turn these steps into a one-page checklist for a new crew member doing [TASK]: [PASTE YOUR STEPS]. Keep my order. Put safety steps in their own section at the top exactly as I wrote them, without rewording.
Check: safety wording is exactly yours. Never let an AI write or soften safety rules.
Summarize a contract you were sent.
Summarize this supplier agreement in plain English (private details removed): [PASTE]. List payment terms, cancellation terms, auto-renewal, and anything that makes me responsible for damage or costs. Quote the section number for each point.
Check: read every section it cites in the original. A summary helps you prepare questions for your attorney. It doesn't replace reading the contract.
Prompts you should not use
- "Write five customer reviews for my business." Fake reviews break the FTC's rule and the review sites' policies.
- "What should I charge for this job?" It doesn't know your costs. Give it your numbers and ask it to check the math instead.
- "Is this wiring safe?" or "Is this wall load-bearing?" Safety calls belong to a qualified person on site.
- "Write a contract for my customers." Ask it to explain terms, then have an attorney in your state write or review the contract.
- Anything with a customer's full name, address and phone number pasted in. Strip it first.
How do you keep prompts consistent across the office?
Put the prompts that work into one shared document, with the date each was last edited and an example of good output. When someone improves one, they update the document instead of keeping their own version. This keeps the tone consistent across texts sent by three different people and stops each new hire from reinventing the wording.
Over time, the best prompts end up as templates inside your own systems. Message templates belong in your texting tool, quote language in your price book, and intake questions in your phone setup. A custom CRM can hold all three, so the office starts from approved wording instead of a blank chat window.
Frequently asked questions
Do these prompts work in Gemini and Claude as well as ChatGPT?
Yes. They are plain instructions, so any general chat assistant can follow them. Results vary between tools, so test a prompt a few times before adding it to your shared library.
Why should I tell the AI to ask questions instead of guessing?
Chat assistants fill gaps with plausible details. Telling it to ask for missing facts reduces invented prices, dates and materials, though you still need to check the output.
Can I paste a customer's email into an AI tool?
Remove names, addresses, phone numbers and anything private first, and read the tool's data policy. The draft will be just as useful without the personal details.
Should I use AI to reply to every review?
It can draft replies quickly, but read and edit each one so it sounds like you and contains nothing private. Never use it to write the reviews themselves.
Sources
General information for service-business owners, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules vary by state; check with a qualified professional for your situation.