Simple letters, applications and replies

Why this matters for you

Much of your day may involve writing: covering letters, reminders, acknowledgements, leave applications, short replies and forwarding notes. Many of these follow the same pattern each time. A chatbot can help you write them faster and more neatly, especially in English.

But a letter that leaves your office carries your office's name. A wrong date, a wrong name or a made-up rule can confuse a citizen or embarrass your officer. So the chatbot writes the draft. You check it and make it right.

Good tasks for a chatbot

A chatbot can help with:

• a polite reminder that a reply is still awaited
• an acknowledgement that an application has been received
• a covering letter that sends documents to another office
• your own leave application or request for a transfer of duty
• turning rough notes into a clear, short paragraph
• making a letter more polite, shorter or simpler

It should not write anything that makes a decision, gives an official view or refuses a citizen's request. Those letters come from your officer.

How to ask

A good request tells the chatbot four things:

1. What kind of letter. For example, "a short reminder letter".
2. Who it is to and from. Use roles, not names: "from a district office to a provincial department".
3. What it must say. List the main points in a few words.
4. How it should sound. For example, "formal, polite, under 120 words".

Here is an example you can copy and change:

Write a short, formal reminder letter from a district office to a provincial department. Our earlier letter asked for an updated list of approved suppliers. No reply has come yet. Ask them politely to send it soon. Use [DATE] for the date of our earlier letter and [REFERENCE] for the reference number. Keep it under 120 words.

Notice there are no real names, numbers or dates. You add those yourself later, as you learned in module 2.

You can also use the ready-made prompts for a reminder letter or a reply to a letter.

Check every draft before it goes

Read the whole draft slowly. Then check each of these:

• Names and titles. Are they correct and spelt the right way? Is the officer's designation right?
• Dates and numbers. Every date, reference number, amount and deadline must come from your file, not from the chatbot.
• Made-up content. Did the chatbot add a rule, a section, a form name or a deadline you did not give it? If so, take it out. It may be a hallucination.
• Meaning. Does the letter say exactly what you meant, no more and no less?
• Promises. Did it promise anything, such as "your case will be decided within a week"? Remove any promise you cannot keep.
• Tone. Is it polite and respectful? Would you be comfortable if your officer read it?
• Format. Does it match the format your office uses, such as the heading, reference line and signature block?

If you are not sure about any line, ask a senior colleague or your officer before sending.

Use your office's own templates

Your office may already have standard letters. These are usually better than anything a chatbot writes, because they use the right wording and format. Use the chatbot to fill gaps or improve a rough paragraph, not to replace templates your office already trusts.

Keep the draft and the final apart

Save the chatbot's draft and your final letter separately or at least know what you changed. This helps you see the kind of mistakes the chatbot makes. Over time you will spot them faster.

The guide on drafting with AI has more ideas. The prompt to check a draft can help you look for problems, but it does not replace your own reading.

Try it

Use a chatbot to write a short, polite letter from an imaginary office to an imaginary supplier, asking them to confirm a delivery date. Use [NAME] and [DATE] for the details. When you get the draft, go through the check list above. Mark anything the chatbot added that you did not ask for.

Check yourself

1. What four things should a good request to a chatbot include?
2. Where must every date and reference number in a letter come from?
3. What kinds of letter should come from your officer and not from a chatbot draft?

Answers: (1) The kind of letter, who it is to and from, what it must say and how it should sound. (2) From your own file, never from the chatbot. (3) Letters that make a decision, give an official view or refuse a citizen's request.