AI prompt: reschedule or weather delay text for home services
A copy-and-paste AI prompt that writes the text a roofer, painter, landscaper, HVAC company, plumber or other home services business sends when it has to move a scheduled job to a new day: only the old day, new day and new time window you type in, plus any reason, confirm, closing and opt-out lines you typed, and nothing invented: no made-up weather or other excuse, no blame, credits, discounts or urgency.
When to use it
Weather or anything else means a booked job has to move, you have already picked the new day and arrival window, and you want one short text that states the change exactly as you set it and only gives a reason, a way to confirm, or an opt-out when you typed them in yourself.
- Copy the prompt below.
- Replace every
{{VARIABLE}}with your own details (see the list under the prompt). - Paste it into the AI chat tool you already use.
- Read the result against the checklist before you use it.
The prompt
You are helping a home services business write the text message (SMS) it sends when it has to move a customer's scheduled appointment to a new day, for example because of weather. The text gives only the old day, the new day and the new time window the business typed in. It must never invent a reason, blame anyone, offer a credit, discount or freebie, add urgency, or write any name, price, date, time or phone number that is not in the details below.
DETAILS
- Business name: {{BUSINESS_NAME}}
- Type of business: {{BUSINESS_TYPE}}
- Customer's first name: {{CUSTOMER_NAME}}
- What was scheduled (copy word for word): {{JOB}}
- Original day (copy word for word): {{OLD_DAY}}
- New day (copy word for word): {{NEW_DAY}}
- New time window (copy word for word): {{NEW_TIME_WINDOW}}
- Reason line (copy word for word), or "none": {{REASON_LINE}}
- Confirm or change line (copy word for word), or "none": {{CONFIRM_LINE}}
- Closing line (copy word for word), or "none": {{CLOSING_LINE}}
- Opt-out line (copy word for word), or "none": {{OPT_OUT_LINE}}
This message must have exactly {{LINE_COUNT}} lines. After those lines, stop. Do not add any other line.
LAYOUT
Write the text with each part on its own line. Do not leave any blank lines. Square brackets are instructions only — never copy the bracket text, never write field labels, and never write the word "none".
Line 1 (required, exact words, nothing else on this line):
Hi {{CUSTOMER_NAME}}, this is {{BUSINESS_NAME}}. We need to move your {{JOB}} from {{OLD_DAY}} to {{NEW_DAY}}, {{NEW_TIME_WINDOW}}.
Then add these lines only when the matching DETAIL is not the word "none". If a DETAIL is "none", skip it with no substitute line:
- Reason line, word for word (only if REASON_LINE is not "none")
- Confirm or change line, word for word (only if CONFIRM_LINE is not "none")
Closing line (required, always include, after the lines above):
- If the closing line in DETAILS is not the word "none": copy it word for word.
- If the closing line in DETAILS is the word "none": write exactly one short, plain sentence such as "Thank you for understanding." Do not give a reason, and do not mention weather, times, credits, discounts, payment, reviews or urgency.
Last line (only if OPT_OUT_LINE is not "none"): the opt-out line, word for word, alone on the last line.
RULES FOR THE TEXT
1. Use only the details above. Do not invent or change any day, date, time, time window, name, price, phone number or link, and do not write any number that is not in the details above.
2. Do not add anything the business did not say: no reason of your own (no weather, illness, emergency, parts or scheduling excuse unless it is in the reason line), no blame, no credit, discount, free service or other make-good, no urgency, and no invented way to confirm, reschedule or opt out.
3. Never write the word "none". Never write labels such as "reason line", "closing line" or "opt-out line". Say each thing once and do not repeat any sentence.
4. Plain words, short sentences, no emojis, no hashtags, no exclamation marks.
5. The finished text has exactly {{LINE_COUNT}} lines. Count them before you answer.
Before you answer, check: the text has exactly {{LINE_COUNT}} lines; line 1 matches the exact sentence above; every copied line is word for word; you did not invent a reason, credit, discount, confirm process or opt-out.
Return only the finished text message and nothing else.What to fill in
- {{BUSINESS_NAME}}
- Your business name, as customers know it.
- {{BUSINESS_TYPE}}
- What you do and where, in a few words.
- {{CUSTOMER_NAME}}
- The customer's first name.
- {{JOB}}
- What was scheduled, in a few words, e.g. roof repair or fall cleanup. The AI copies it word for word.
- {{OLD_DAY}}
- The day the job was booked for, e.g. Wednesday, November 11 or tomorrow.
- {{NEW_DAY}}
- The new day you picked, written the way you want the customer to read it, e.g. Friday, November 13.
- {{NEW_TIME_WINDOW}}
- The new arrival window you actually booked, e.g. between 8 and 10 AM. The AI copies it word for word and never narrows it.
- {{REASON_LINE}}
- The reason in your own words, e.g. Heavy rain is forecast for Wednesday, or "none" to give no reason. The AI will not make one up.
- {{CONFIRM_LINE}}
- How the customer confirms or asks for another day, e.g. Reply Y to confirm or R if Friday doesn't work, or "none". The AI will not invent a process or phone number.
- {{CLOSING_LINE}}
- A short closing in your own words, e.g. Thanks for your patience, or "none" to let the AI write a plain sign-off such as "Thank you for understanding." with no reason, credit or discount.
- {{OPT_OUT_LINE}}
- The opt-out line your texts use, e.g. Reply STOP to opt out, or "none" if your texting service adds its own.
Real example output
Fictional sample business. Granite State Roofing, the customer, the dates and the time window are fictional. They were made up to test this prompt; any resemblance to a real business or person is unintended.
Show the inputs used for Granite State Roofing (fictional)
- BUSINESS_NAME
- Granite State Roofing
- BUSINESS_TYPE
- roofing contractor in Manchester, NH
- CUSTOMER_NAME
- Paul
- JOB
- roof repair
- OLD_DAY
- Wednesday, November 11
- NEW_DAY
- Friday, November 13
- NEW_TIME_WINDOW
- between 8 and 10 AM
- REASON_LINE
- Heavy rain is forecast for Wednesday, and we can't work on a wet roof safely.
- CONFIRM_LINE
- Reply Y to confirm or R if Friday doesn't work.
- CLOSING_LINE
- Thanks for your patience.
- OPT_OUT_LINE
- Reply STOP to opt out.
What the model returned
Hi Paul, this is Granite State Roofing. We need to move your roof repair from Wednesday, November 11 to Friday, November 13, between 8 and 10 AM. Heavy rain is forecast for Wednesday, and we can't work on a wet roof safely. Reply Y to confirm or R if Friday doesn't work. Thanks for your patience. Reply STOP to opt out.
Model: Qwen3-4B-Instruct-2507 (Q4_K_M GGUF), llama.cpp server b12110, run locally, temperature 0.4. Tested on . Edits: None. The words are exactly as the model returned them, apart from removing spaces at the ends of lines. All 8 runs with this prompt and these inputs passed the automatic checks (the first line with the old day, new day and new window copied exactly, the reason, confirm, closing and opt-out lines copied exactly, each part on its own line, no blank lines, no other numbers or times, no invented reason, blame, credit, discount, urgency, confirm process or opt-out, no repeated sentences) and a manual read. We ran the same prompt for 8 runs each on four other fictional businesses: a painter with every optional line "none"; an HVAC company with a call-if-it-doesn't-work line and its own opt-out wording but no reason or closing; a landscaper with a wind reason and nothing else; and a plumber with a reply-1-or-2 line, its own apology closing and an opt-out. All 32 passed both checks. An earlier round of 4 runs per business (20 runs) on the same prompt also passed. The runs were word for word the same for each business; when the closing line was "none", the only words the model wrote itself were "Thank you for understanding.", so the text is only as good and as true as what you put in. AI output varies between runs and models, so always review it before posting.
Check before you post
- The new day and window are actually open on your calendar before the text goes out. Book the slot first, then send.
- Give a reason only if it is true and you are comfortable stating it. Leave REASON_LINE as "none" rather than guessing.
- Do not offer a credit, discount or freebie in the text unless you have decided to. The prompt never adds one.
- The confirm line is a way you actually answer, such as a reply you watch for or a number someone picks up. Leave CONFIRM_LINE as "none" rather than inventing one.
- If the customer cannot make the new day, call them. A text is the notice, not the whole conversation.
- Only text people who have agreed to get texts from you, and honor every opt-out. Check whether your scheduling software already sends a change notice so the customer does not get two.
- Before you switch it on, send a test to your own phone and read exactly what arrives.
Get the full set of local business prompts.
The pack has 40 prompts for Google review replies and review requests, Google Business Profile posts, ads, emails and social posts, plus a fill-in business context block. One-time purchase, $24.
Related tools
Zernio in the Digidle directory is one API for SMS, WhatsApp and social posts if you want to send texts like this from your own software. Retell AI builds AI phone agents, if you want calls answered by an agent. This example ran on a small open model on an ordinary computer: llmspeed previews local model speed.