Asking a customer for more information
Every information request costs a round-trip, and round-trips are where resolution times go to die. Ask for everything you could plausibly need in one message, format it as a short list, and tell the customer what happens as soon as they answer.
Subject: Re: [original subject] — two things I need to fix this
Hi [first name], I want to get this fixed for you, and I need [number] things to do it in one go: 1. [Specific item, phrased so it's answerable from memory or one screenshot, e.g. "the email address of the teammate who can't log in"] 2. [Specific item, e.g. "a screenshot of the error — the exact wording tells us which system produced it"] That's everything — once you reply, I can [what their answer unlocks, e.g. "reproduce it on our side and get you a fix or workaround in the same reply"]. If any of these are hard to get, send what you have and I'll work with that. [your name]
Replace every [bracketed] placeholder before sending — the brackets are there so an unfilled field is impossible to miss.
How to use this template well
- Number the items. Prose requests get partially answered; numbered lists come back complete.
- Say why you need each item in a few words — "the exact wording tells us which system produced it" turns a chore into collaboration.
- Cap the list at three. If you genuinely need more, offer a call or screen-share instead.
- "Send what you have and I'll work with that" rescues the tickets where the customer can't produce the perfect screenshot.
Related templates
First response acknowledgment emailA holding reply that buys time honestly: what you understood, and when they'll hear back.Bug report acknowledgment emailConfirm it's reproduced (or being reproduced), give a workaround, and promise the fix notification.Follow-up email after no responseNudge a quiet customer without guilt: restate where things stand and make replying trivially easy.
Your team's replies, one snippet away.
Repliqo turns templates like this one into shared snippets your whole team inserts in two keystrokes — with variables that fill in the customer's name automatically.