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Introduction
Hi, and welcome back to Claude from Zero to Expert. We're starting session three: writing and communication. In this episode we learn to write professional emails in minutes: from request emails and setting the tone, to replying to complaints and building templates you can use again and again.
Step 1: Anatomy of a professional email
Let's start with a simple question: what does a professional email look like? The answer is short, clear, and polite. People who read work email are usually busy. Within the first ten seconds, they should already know what we mean and what we're asking for. The good news is that Claude is very good at writing emails like this. Our job is to give it the right ingredients, then judge the result through the reader's eyes, not just copy and send it. The first part is the subject. A clear subject makes the email easy to find, for example a request to expedite a delivery, complete with the order number. Second, the greeting. Address the recipient with the right name and title, such as Mr. or Ms. Third, the main point goes in the first paragraph. Explain right away what happened and why we're writing, without a long warm-up. Fourth, a firm request. State what we're asking for and the deadline, so the recipient knows exactly what to do. Fifth, the closing and signature: a thank-you, your name, job title, and office contact. These five parts become our measuring stick. Every time Claude gives us a draft, we check whether all five are there.
Step 2: Four ingredients of an email prompt
Now let's practice with Dewi, operations manager at Maju Bersama Co. The first ingredient is context: who Dewi is, and who the recipient is, Ms. Sinta, their regular paper supplier. The second ingredient is the task. One sentence is enough: write an email asking to expedite a delivery. The third ingredient is the key data. The order number, quantity, dates, and deadline must be written by us, because Claude doesn't know the facts of our work. The fourth ingredient is the format: a formal tone, polite but firm, one hundred twenty words at most, and a subject line. Without the key data, Claude will fill the gaps with guesses. So don't skip writing the numbers and dates. Here's the complete prompt in Claude's chat window. Notice that all the ingredients go into one tidy message. A few seconds later, Claude gives a full draft with a subject line. The first paragraph states the problem right away, and the Friday request is written clearly. Let's match it against the five parts: subject, check. Greeting, check. Main point up front, a firm request, and a closing. This draft is nearly ready to send. Compare that with the old way: opening a blank email, staring at the screen, and deleting the first sentence again and again. With a complete prompt, Dewi only reads, checks the numbers, and decides whether it needs a revision.
Step 3: Setting the tone in one sentence
An email with the right content can still feel wrong if the tone is off. When collecting a payment, we ask for a tone that is firm but still polite. When declining a request, use a warm tone and offer an alternative, so the relationship stays good. When apologizing, ask Claude to write with empathy and without blaming anyone, including the courier or a coworker. When proposing a partnership, the tone is enthusiastic but brief. People reply more easily to short emails. The key is to name the tone you want in the format part. A single word like firm, warm, or empathetic already changes the result a lot. Dewi feels the first draft is a bit stiff for a long-time supplier. She simply explains her relationship with Ms. Sinta and the tone she wants. Claude adds a warm greeting and a thank-you for their partnership, but the Friday request stays clear. Same content, different feel. Then Dewi asks for three shorter subject options. Asking for several options is a handy trick when we're not sure yet. Claude gives three subjects. Dewi just picks the best fit, for example, please confirm delivery of PO 0412. The pattern is the same one we learned in the Prompt Basics session: ask, read, then refine. The difference is that now we use it for real work that usually takes half an hour.
Step 4: Replying to incoming email
Now let's reply to an email. This is Dewi's inbox this morning. There's one email labeled as a complaint, from a customer, Pelita Bookstore. Dewi opens it. An order of twenty packs of plastic folders arrived with only fifteen, and the goods were meant for a new school year display. Ms. Ratna is disappointed and wants a quick follow-up. Reply in a rush with emotion, and the customer relationship can suffer. Reply too late, and she may move to another distributor. A complaint like this needs a reply that is fast, polite, and has a clear solution. Before pasting it into Claude, Dewi deletes the phone number and address in the signature. Dewi pastes the email, then writes her own decision: apologize, send the missing packs on Thursday with free shipping, and add one bonus pack. Claude writes an empathetic reply that mentions the invoice number and explains the solution clearly. Notice how the work is divided. The business decision still comes from Dewi. Claude only puts it into words. Don't let Claude promise anything you haven't decided. One more good habit: if an incoming email contains a customer's personal data, delete or mask it before pasting. Claude doesn't need a phone number to write a reply.
Step 5: Email templates and checks before sending
So you don't write a prompt from scratch every day, save the one that works as a template. The parts that change are replaced with variables in curly braces. For the task, the variable is just the email type: a request, a payment reminder, an apology, or an offer. The data variables hold the key points and the deadline. This is the part people forget most often, yet it matters most. In the format, we ask for three subject options right away. One template, dozens of emails. Keep this template in your notes or an office document. Later, in the Projects session, we'll store it in Claude's workspace so you won't need to paste it again. Finally, check before you hit Send. First, the recipient's name, title, and job title. Getting a name wrong is a small mistake that feels big. Second, numbers, dates, and document numbers. Match them against the original data, because Claude only copies what you give it, and it can occasionally slip. Third, the tone. Does it fit your relationship with the recipient, not too stiff and not too casual? Fourth, make sure there are no promises you haven't decided on, such as a discount or a delivery date that appeared in the draft on its own. Fifth, read it through once in your own speaking style. Change any words that don't sound like you. The screens in this video are simulations, so button positions in Claude may differ slightly. These five checks take only a few seconds, but they save you from an embarrassing wrong send. Make it a habit, just like locking the door before you leave home.
Done!
We've learned the anatomy of a work email, the four ingredients of an email prompt, how to set the tone, how to reply to complaints with our own decisions, plus templates and checks before sending. In the next episode we move to social media: creating captions and content that stay consistent with your brand voice. See you there!
Practice exercises
Try these on your own after watching to lock in what you learned.
Write one request email using the four prompt ingredients, then ask for two tone versions
Paste one incoming email (without personal data) and ask Claude to draft the reply
Save an email template with variables in your prompt notes
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Cerdas Inovasi Digital Team
Software developers, BIM & 3D engineers, and AI practitioners
53 video classes1,286 episodes
We build software, BIM models, games and AI automations for clients every day, and turn that hands-on work into step-by-step classes: every step is shown on screen and comes with a PDF guide you can keep.
