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Vent to AI about a nitpicky customer text, then send the calm, professional reply it writes
Brian Hensley, owner of Rave Renovation, a small roofing and renovation company in the Greenville, South Carolina area, on Bots and Bosses: AI for the Trades (a show run by his wife Jessica Hensley's marketing agency, Business Buddy)
He puts the customer's message and what's going on into AI and gets back a clean, professional response to send, instead of answering as a frustrated contractor in the truck. He uses ChatGPT and Claude; he doesn't say which one for this.
Claude $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly); free plan available · ChatGPT Free $0; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo
Easy · or we do it from $149/mo
Claude, ChatGPT
The problem
Jobs don't always run smoothly: a wall opened for a $1,200 repair can turn up mold and rot that make it $4,000, and on a hard day a text nitpicking something minor can get an emotional reply.
What happened
He says it makes him come across as a lot more professional. No figures are given. Self-reported.
Quoted in the source: Brian Hensley, owner, Rave Renovation. Source: Bots and Bosses: AI for the Trades, Episode 1 (Brian Hensley, Rave Renovation) (2026-03-31) · Added 2026-10-19.
How to set it up yourself
- What Rave Renovation does: when a customer text gets under his skin, the owner pastes it and the background into AI and sends the calm, professional reply it writes instead of answering in the moment.
- Paste the customer's message, then say what actually happened in your own words, venting included. That's what lets it write a reply that fits.
- Use the prompt below. Check every fact in the reply (dates, prices, what was found behind the wall) and change anything you wouldn't promise.
- For bad news like hidden damage, add photos and the new price in writing, and offer a quick call; don't let AI make a price or schedule promise for you.
Copy-paste prompt
A customer sent me this: {CUSTOMER MESSAGE}. Here's what's really going on, in my words: {BACKGROUND, e.g. we opened the wall for a $1,200 repair and found rot and mold, so it's now about $4,000}. Write a calm, professional text reply from {YOUR NAME} at {COMPANY NAME}: acknowledge their concern in one sentence, explain the facts plainly, give the next step and offer a call. Keep it under 100 words, don't apologize for things that aren't our fault, and don't add any facts or prices I didn't give you.The $39 Plumbing & HVAC AI Starter Kit has ready-to-use call scripts, missed-call texts, estimate follow-ups and review templates, built from 18 real, sourced setups. Instant download, 30-day refund.
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Tools used
Claude
AI assistant for writing, long documents, analysis and coding help.
From $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) (checked 2026-10-18)
Visit site →
ChatGPT
General AI assistant for writing, research, brainstorming and analysis.
From Free $0; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100/mo (checked 2026-10-17)
Visit site →Some tool links may be affiliate links. Disclosure
Checked prices: Claude: from $17/mo billed annually ($20 monthly) (verified 2026-10-18) · ChatGPT: from Free $0; Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro $100/mo (verified 2026-10-17)
Rather not do it yourself?
We'll set this up in your tools, in your voice, tested. $149/mo with setup included (6-month minimum), or $497 pay-once. Satisfaction guarantee: we'll fix it until it works. Pay-once setups: or we refund your setup fee. $149/mo plan: cancel in the first 30 days and we refund your first month. Terms. We reply within 1 business day.
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