Soften the tone of a reply to an upset customer without changing the facts
A reviewed draft reply, not sent.
Choose one of three approaches. The steps for that option appear below.
Choose an option above. On a phone, swipe the tabs left or right to see all options →
DeepL Write: rewords sentence by sentence, you check
DeepL Write suggests alternatives for your pasted text. You list and check every change against the original.
You
Mark the fixed facts
DeepL Write
Read rewording ideas
You
List and check changes
The second reader
Second reader for tone
The support lead
Lead decides readiness
Mark the facts that must not change
Use:You
Have ready: the draft reply and the customer message. Mark the facts, dates, amounts and promises in the draft reply that must not change.
Check
Check the list against the original draft and the customer message.
Read its rewording ideas
Use:DeepL Write
Paste only the checked passage into DeepL Write and read its alternatives. Your must-not-change list stays with you, not pasted.
Details
What to paste into the tool
[paste your checked passage]
List and check every change
Use:You
Compare the reworded draft with the original yourself: list every change and mark each one that touches a fact, date, amount or promise.
Check
Check every fact, date and amount matches the original, no new promise, apology or refund appeared, and the tone stays calm and respectful. Treat the reworded draft as unchecked until compared. If unsure, keep the original sentence.
Read the draft for tone
Use:The second reader
Read the marked-up draft and comment on tone and accuracy.
Check
Would you be comfortable receiving this? Flag anything cold, defensive or over-promising.
Decide whether the draft is ready
Use:The support lead
Read the final draft start to finish and give a go/no-go note for the owner to send themselves.
Check
Check nothing has been sent or published, and every still-to-confirm item is still marked.
Google Workspace with Gemini (Docs, Sheets, Slides): rewrites, Grammarly polishes
Gemini in Workspace rewrites and lists every change. Grammarly polishes the checked draft. A second reader and the lead check.
You
Mark the fixed facts
Google Workspace with Gemini (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
Rewrite and list changes
You
Check the change list
Grammarly
Polish wording only
The second reader
Second reader for tone
The support lead
Lead decides readiness
Mark the facts that must not change
Use:You
Have ready: the draft reply and the customer message. Mark the facts, dates, amounts and promises in the draft reply that must not change.
Check
Check the list against the original draft and the customer message.
Rewrite the draft and list changes
Use:Google Workspace with Gemini (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
Ask it to rewrite the draft in a calm, plain, respectful tone, then list every change against the original and the must-not-change list.
Details
What to paste into the tool
Rewrite the draft below in a calm, plain, respectful tone. Keep every item on the must-not-change list word for word. Do not add apologies, promises, refunds or new facts. If unsure, leave the sentence as it is. Must-not-change list: [paste list] Draft with personal details replaced by placeholders: [paste draft]
Compare the two drafts below. List every change between them. Mark each change that touches a fact, date, amount or promise, and each sentence that adds an apology, promise, refund or new fact. Must-not-change list: [paste list] Original draft: [paste original] Reworded draft: [paste reworded draft]
Check the change list against both drafts
Use:You
Compare the marked change list with both drafts. Treat the reworded draft as unchecked until every change is checked.
Check
Check every fact, date and amount matches the original, no new promise appeared, and the tone reads calm and respectful.
Polish spelling and wording only
Use:Grammarly
Run the checked draft through Grammarly for spelling, grammar and punctuation only, keeping every fact, date, amount and promise unchanged.
Details
What to paste into the tool
Fix spelling, grammar and punctuation in the draft below. Keep every fact, date, amount and promise word for word. Do not add apologies, promises, refunds or new facts. Checked draft: [paste checked draft]
Read the draft for tone
Use:The second reader
Read the marked-up draft and comment on tone and accuracy.
Check
Would you be comfortable receiving this? Flag anything cold, defensive or over-promising.
Decide whether the draft is ready
Use:The support lead
Read the final draft start to finish and give a go/no-go note for the owner to send themselves.
Check
Check nothing has been sent or published, and every still-to-confirm item is still marked. Check the result against your original inputs. Approve it before sharing or acting.
By hand: Google Workspace with Gemini (Docs, Sheets, Slides) compares
You edit the draft for tone first. Gemini in Docs only offers one alternative wording to compare against yours.
You
Mark the fixed facts
You
Edit for tone by hand
Google Workspace with Gemini (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
Offer one alternative
You
Take the better wording
The support lead
Lead decides readiness
Mark the must-not-change facts
Use:You
Have ready: the draft reply and the customer message. Mark the facts, dates, amounts and promises that must not change.
Check
Check the list against both texts.
Edit the draft for tone by hand
Use:You
Rewrite the draft yourself in a calm, plain, respectful tone.
Check
Check the facts match the list. Nothing added.
Offer one alternative wording
Use:Google Workspace with Gemini (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
Ask for one alternative wording of your rewrite, for comparison only, with each change listed separately.
Details
What to paste into the tool
Give one alternative wording of the reply below for comparison only. Keep every item on the must-not-change list word for word. Do not add promises or apologies. List each change separately. Must-not-change list: [paste list] Human rewrite with personal details replaced by placeholders: [paste rewrite]
Take only wording that is clearly better
Use:You
Compare both versions line by line and take only wording that is clearly better. Treat the alternative as unchecked until compared.
Check
Check every fact, date and amount matches the list. Nothing added.
Decide whether the draft is ready
Use:The support lead
Read the final draft start to finish and give a go/no-go note for the owner to send themselves.
Check
Compare every fact, date, amount and promise with the original reply. Read the final draft as a second person; check the tone is calm and respectful. Check nothing has been sent or published and anything not known yet is still marked.
Compare the three approaches
Option A: DeepL Write: rewords sentence by sentence, you check
Best when: You want small, controlled edits you can inspect
What it does: DeepL Write suggests; you list and check changes
Strong at: Word and sentence alternatives keep edits small
Limit: Following a must-not-change list: not stated (as of 2026-10-29)
Free plan: Yes
Option B: Google Workspace with Gemini (Docs, Sheets, Slides): rewrites, Grammarly polishes
Best when: The draft needs a bigger rewrite, not small tweaks
What it does: Google Workspace with Gemini (Docs, Sheets, Slides) rewrites; Grammarly polishes
Strong at: Lists every change for you to check
Limit: Keeping must-not-change items word for word is not covered
Free plan: Google Workspace with Gemini (Docs, Sheets, Slides): Paid plan needed; Grammarly: Yes
Option C: By hand: Google Workspace with Gemini (Docs, Sheets, Slides) compares
Best when: You want a person writing first, AI as second opinion
What it does: You rewrite; the tool offers one alternative
Strong at: You stay the author throughout
Limit: Slower than the tool-led paths
Free plan: Paid plan needed
Before you paste into any AI tool, remove any confidential information. Put it back at the end.