Support Macro Skill

Macros make support fast — but bad ones make it feel like a wall of copy-paste, which customers hate. A good macro is a scaffold: empathetic opener, the actual answer in clear steps, obvious personalisation slots, and a human close — fast for the agent, warm for the customer. This skill writes that, with the variants a single situation usually needs.

Required Inputs

Ask for these only if they aren't already provided:

• The scenario — the common ticket this macro answers (password reset, refund request, bug report, how-to).
• The resolution — the actual answer or steps.
• Brand voice — formal, friendly, playful (defaults to warm-professional).
• Constraints — anything that must be said (policy, legal, security) or links to include.

Output Format

Macro: scenario]

Primary macro: > Opener — acknowledge the person + their issue specifically ("Sorry the export failed — let's get that sorted."). Not "Dear valued customer." > Answer — the resolution in clear, numbered steps where it's a process. One idea per line. > Personalisation slots — clearly marked [first name], [order #], [specific detail] the agent fills. > Close — a warm, human sign-off + an open door ("If that doesn't do it, just reply here and I'll dig in.").

Variants (same scenario, different outcomes):

• Resolved — the answer above, confident it's fixed.
• Need more info — what you need from them and why, framed helpfully (not interrogation).
• Escalating / known issue — honest acknowledgement, what happens next, and a realistic timeframe.

Notes: keep placeholders obvious so agents always personalise; flag the one line that must stay (policy/legal); keep it scannable on mobile.

Quality Checks

• ] Opens by acknowledging the person and their specific issue
• ] The answer is clear and step-by-step where it's a process
• ] Personalisation slots are clearly marked so agents fill them every time
• ] Includes the variants the scenario needs (resolved / more-info / escalating)
• ] Sounds like a person — contractions, warmth — not a corporate template

Anti-Patterns

• ] Do not write "Dear valued customer" / robotic openers — acknowledge the actual person and problem
• ] Do not make it un-personalisable — a macro with no slots gets sent cold and feels like spam
• ] Do not bury the answer in apology — empathise briefly, then solve
• ] Do not over-promise on escalations — give an honest, realistic timeframe
• ] Do not write one macro for a scenario with multiple outcomes — give the resolved/more-info/escalating variants

Based On

Support-experience practice — empathetic, scannable, personalised canned responses (Zendesk/Intercom macro conventions).