Playbook

As of 10:12 · the period does not apply here

What the desk knows, in the order a draft applies it. Tone first, then the rule of the channel it is going out on, the template for the situation, the process behind the promise, the knowledge base's answer and the product's own approved sentences. Change a line here and every draft written after it changes; nothing is edited message by message.

Templates in use

Company brain

—

Every reply the desk sends comes out of one of these

Replies written from them

Reply log

1,173

—

Over the last thirty days, across every surface

Sent with no edit

Computed

90.8%

—

Weighted by how often each template is used

Questions with no answer here

Company brain

—

Asked more than once, and the brain has nothing to say

How a draft is built

The layers, applied in this order. Each one can only narrow what the one above it allows.

Company brain

Voice
Brand voice
Tone, the greeting, the things that are never written. Applies to every message on every surface.
voice/tone.md
1
Channel
Channel rule
Visibility, length, what is forbidden here. A public listing and a private message get different drafts from the same template.
channels/<surface>.md
2
Template
Scenario template
What the shop says in this situation, with the variables it needs marked.
templates/<scenario>/<variant>.md
3
Process
Process
The steps behind the promise: who does what, in what order, by when.
process/<subject>.md
4
Facts
Knowledge base
What is true: shipping, returns, warranty, using it. A draft quotes the entry rather than paraphrasing it, and an answer that is not here is not made up.
kb/<family>/<entry>.md
5
Product
Product file
The approved sentences about this product. Nothing about a product is written that is not in its file.
products/<sku>.md
6
Records
Order and stock
The figures the draft needs from the shop's own records: the incoming batch, the order's state, the return's date.
orders / stock
7

The draft

What comes out the bottom is what a person sees in the queue, with the trail beside it. Change a line in any layer above and every draft written after it changes; no reply is edited one at a time.

See it on a message

Brand voice

The layer that applies to every message on every surface, whatever it is about.

Company brain

Plain before friendly
Answer the question in the first sentence. Warmth comes after the answer, never instead of it.
One apology, then the fix
When something went wrong, say so once and spend the rest of the message on what happens next and who does it.
Say what we don't know
A missing answer is written as a missing answer. Nothing is filled in from memory, and the gap is logged so it stops being missing.
Dates only where somebody owns them
A date comes from the warehouse, the courier or finance. Where nobody has given one, the message says what it depends on instead.
One greeting everywhere
Every channel opens with “Hello,” however the customer wrote. The shop sounds like one desk across the marketplaces, the mailbox and the social accounts.
No pressure to buy
An alternative may be offered once, in one clause. The desk answers questions; it does not sell against them.

Never written

The list a draft is checked against before anybody can approve it.

Company brain

Health, diet or medical claims of any kind, even softened ones
“Guaranteed”, “definitely”, “100%” about anything we do not control
Blaming the courier, the marketplace or the customer in public
A link, a phone number, an address or an account handle on a public surface
An order number, a full name or a tax number anywhere a stranger can read it
“As soon as possible” where an actual day is known

Signs off as

Harbor Lane Coffee

The lines about contact details, order references and claims are enforced by the checks under every draft — a reply with a phone number in it cannot be approved onto a listing at all. The rest are judgement, which is what the tone rules beside them are for. The checks, on a message

Channel rules

What each surface allows. The same question gets a different reply on a listing everyone can read and in a message only one person can, and this is the table that decides which.

Company brain

Surface	Who reads it	Opens with	Length	Not allowed here
Trendyol · product questions	Anyone	Hello, (no name)	10–2,000 characters	Links, phone, e-mail, account handles. The marketplace scans replies and a breach costs seller score.
Trendyol · order questions	One customer	Hello,	Short to medium	Same as the listing. A missing or wrong item goes through the marketplace's claim flow, never around it.
Trendyol · reviews	Anyone	Hello,	One to three sentences	Order numbers, personal detail, argument. A negative review gets the fix, not a defence.
Hepsiburada · product questions	Anyone	Hello, (no name)	Short to medium, answered inside one working day	Links, phone, e-mail, account handles.
Hepsiburada · reviews	Anyone	Hello,	One to three sentences	Order numbers, personal detail.
N11 · product questions	Anyone	Hello,	Short to medium	Links, phone, e-mail, account handles. Answered by hand in the panel.
Pazarama · product questions	Anyone	Hello,	Short to medium	Links, phone, e-mail, account handles. Answered by hand in the panel.
Instagram · comments	Anyone	Hello, informal	One or two sentences, under 300 characters	Links, phone, full address. Anything negative moves to a message rather than a thread.
Instagram · direct messages	One customer	Hello, first name where the handle gives one	Medium	Nothing structural; order numbers and photos may be asked for here.
WhatsApp	One customer	Hello,	Medium, warm	Nothing structural. Card numbers are never asked for; the last four digits are the most that may be requested.
Mailbox	One customer	Hello, / Dear <name>, on a formal thread	Medium to long, signed	Unsigned messages. Tax and invoice detail stays in the thread and out of the log.
Complaint site	Anyone	Hello,	Medium, formal	Order numbers, addresses, phone. Apology, fix, and an invitation to a private channel.
Phone	One customer	—	Notes, not sentences	Omni writes the note before the call and the log after it. The call itself is a person's.

Visibility is the rule that matters most: it decides whether an order reference, a photograph or an address may be asked for at all. A surface that is read by hand still has a rule, because the reply is still the shop's.

Templates

What the shop says in each situation, with the variables it needs marked. Sorted by how often the desk reached for it over the last thirty days.

Company brain

Template	Situation	Where	Variables	Used	Sent unedited	Updated	Quotes
templates/reviews/thanks.md	Thanks for a good review	Public surfaces	{detail}	210	98%	9 Apr	voice/tone.md
templates/product/grind-advice.md	Which grind for which machine	Anywhere	{product} {machine}	148	94%	19 Aug	products/<sku>.md
templates/shipping/delivery-time.md	How long will it take	Anywhere	{city}	131	97%	2 Jul	process/shipping.md
templates/stock/restock-date.md	When is it back, date known	Public surfaces	{eta} {alternative}	96	92%	27 Aug	stock
templates/returns/marketplace-inside-15-days.md	Return inside the legal window	Private only	none	77	96%	11 Jun	process/returns.md
templates/reviews/negative.md	Negative review with a solvable cause	Public surfaces	{cause}	64	73%	6 Sep	process/returns.md
templates/missing-wrong/marketplace-claim.md	Missing or wrong item on a marketplace	Private only	{order_no} {item}	62	88%	8 Sep	process/missing-wrong.md
templates/payment/transfer-pending.md	Bank transfer not matched yet	Private only	{order_no}	58	90%	30 Jul	process/transfer.md
templates/stock/restock-soon.md	When is it back, no date yet	Public surfaces	{alternative}	45	89%	27 Aug	stock
templates/missing-wrong/direct-channel.md	Missing or wrong item, direct channel	Private only	{order_no}	41	80%	8 Sep	process/missing-wrong.md
templates/general/forwarded.md	Not for this desk, passed on	Private only	{owner}	39	95%	22 Mar	routing.md
templates/shipping/not-received.md	Marked delivered, never arrived	Private only	{order_no}	34	71%	2 Sep	process/shipping.md
templates/product/unknown.md	The brain has no answer yet	Anywhere	{missing}	31	77%	5 Aug	voice/tone.md
templates/product/health-question.md	Diet, health or medical question	Anywhere	{product}	27	100%	1 Sep	voice/tone.md
templates/invoice/reissue.md	Invoice to a company after dispatch	Private only	{order_no}	23	95%	16 May	process/invoice.md
templates/general/genuine.md	Is it genuine	Public surfaces	none	22	100%	30 Jun	voice/tone.md
templates/returns/refund-late.md	Refund later than promised	Anywhere	{return_date} {batch_date}	19	58%	13 Sep	process/returns.md
templates/wholesale/enquiry.md	Wholesale or office enquiry	Private only	none	18	83%	14 Aug	routing.md
templates/general/visit.md	Can I come to the roastery	Public surfaces	none	16	94%	30 Jun	voice/tone.md
templates/subscription/double-charge.md	Charged twice on a subscription	Private only	none	12	67%	4 Sep	process/payments.md

The figures in amber are below the playbook's own weighted average of 91%: the desk keeps rewriting those templates before sending them, which is how a template tells you it has gone out of date. Several were rewritten in the last fortnight for exactly that reason, and the change log at the foot of this page says which.

Knowledge base

What is true, as opposed to how it is said. A draft quotes an entry rather than paraphrasing it, the Inbox looks one up beside the message, and every verdict on the Returns page cites the one it rests on.

Company brain

When an order leaves, how long it takes, what happens when it does not arrive.

Question	What the shop says	Owner	Version	Checked
Where do I find the tracking number? kb/shipping/tracking.md	The channel the order was placed on sends it as soon as the parcel is handed to the courier. On a marketplace it sits on the order page; it is never posted under a listing.	Desk lead	v1	14 Jul
When does an order leave? kb/shipping/cut-off.md	Orders placed before 15:00 on a working day leave the same day. Most addresses have it the next day, two at the outside; the courier's own estimate shows on the order once it is dispatched.	Warehouse	v4	28 Aug
Does anything ship at the weekend? kb/shipping/weekend.md	Nothing leaves on a Saturday or a Sunday. An order placed after 15:00 on a Friday is dispatched on Monday.	Warehouse	v2	28 Aug
It says delivered but nothing came kb/shipping/marked-delivered.md	We open an enquiry with the courier the same day, and the courier has 48 hours to say where the parcel was left. If it is not found in that time we send the order again at our cost.	Desk lead	v3	2 Sep
It arrived damaged kb/shipping/damaged-in-transit.md	Damage in transit is ours to put right. A photograph of the item and of the box is enough, and the replacement goes out the day the request is approved.	Warehouse	v2	8 Sep

An entry not confirmed for 120 days is marked for a look, and 2 are marked this morning. The playbook above says how a thing is said on each surface; this says what is true on all of them, and a question it cannot answer goes on the gap list beside the routing table rather than into a reply.

Who it goes to

Where a message stops being this desk's to answer. The desk still replies; it says who is picking it up and when.

Company brain

Subject	Owner	Promised
Wholesale, cafe and office enquiries	Sales	Two working days
Invoice, tax and corporate billing	Accounting	Next working day
Missing, wrong or damaged items	Warehouse	Same day if before 15:00
Refunds and payment disputes	Finance	Thursday list, paid Friday
Press, collaborations and content	Marketing	Three working days
Job applications	People	One working day to acknowledge
Supplier and equipment offers	Purchasing	No promise given
Anything about the roast itself	Roastery	Same week

Every owner here is a role. Who holds the role is a setting of the shop's, so a leaver never breaks a routing rule.

What the brain does not know yet

Questions customers keep asking that nothing here answers. Each one arrived as a draft that stopped rather than guessed.

Company brain

Is the hand grinder's burr ceramic or steel, and how many clicks for espresso?
Asked 9× in thirty daysHepsiburada Q&ASince 14 Sep
Belongs in products/HL-EQ-GRINDER.md
The message that raised it
Can a subscription be paused for a month instead of cancelled?
Asked 7× in thirty daysWhatsAppSince 11 Sep
Belongs in process/subscription.md
Do we ship to Cyprus, and at what cost?
Asked 6× in thirty daysInstagram DMSince 9 Sep
Belongs in process/shipping.md
Are the cold brew bottles glass or plastic, and are they returnable?
Asked 5× in thirty daysTrendyol Q&ASince 8 Sep
Belongs in products/HL-CB-BTL-6.md
Which decaffeination method is used, and is it the same for every origin?
Asked 4× in thirty daysTrendyol Q&ASince 5 Sep
Belongs in products/HL-SO-DEC-250.md
Can a gift note be added to a marketplace order?
Asked 3× in thirty daysTrendyol ordersSince 3 Sep
Belongs in process/orders.md

A gap closes by somebody writing a sentence into the file named beside it. From that moment every draft on every surface has the answer, which is the whole difference between a playbook and a folder of notes.

What changed, and why

Every edit to the brain, with the reason it was made. The reason is the part that stops the same argument happening twice.

Company brain

Sun 13 Sep, 17:20 · MK
Refund-late template now names the finance batch day
Three complaints in a week said the same thing: nobody told them when. The template says Thursday list, Friday payment, so the date comes from the process rather than the agent.
templates/returns/refund-late.md
Tue 8 Sep, 11:05 · AY
Missing-item templates split by route
A marketplace claim and a direct message are not the same job. One asks the buyer to open the claim, the other asks for a photo and an order number.
templates/missing-wrong/marketplace-claim.mdtemplates/missing-wrong/direct-channel.mdprocess/missing-wrong.md
Sun 6 Sep, 09:44 · SB
Negative-review template stops defending
Reading a month of replies back, the defensive ones drew a second bad review more often than the plain ones.
templates/reviews/negative.md
Fri 4 Sep, 15:12 · MK
Double-charge answer written down
It had been improvised three times, three different ways. Finance gave the actual rule and it is now a template.
templates/subscription/double-charge.mdprocess/payments.md
Wed 2 Sep, 08:30 · AY
Courier enquiry window fixed at 48 hours
The desk was quoting anything between one and five days. The courier contract says 48 hours, so that is what customers are told.
process/shipping.mdtemplates/shipping/not-received.md
Tue 1 Sep, 10:15 · MK
Health and diet questions get their own template
Coffee brings them every week and improvised answers drift toward claims. The template answers with what is in the bag and nothing else.
templates/product/health-question.mdvoice/tone.md

A change here is dated, attributed and reasoned, and it applies to the next draft written — not to the ones already sent. Nothing is rewritten retrospectively.

Surface

Who reads it

Opens with

Length

Not allowed here

Trendyol · product questions

Anyone

Hello, (no name)

10–2,000 characters

Links, phone, e-mail, account handles. The marketplace scans replies and a breach costs seller score.

Trendyol · order questions

One customer

Hello,

Short to medium

Same as the listing. A missing or wrong item goes through the marketplace's claim flow, never around it.

Trendyol · reviews

Anyone

Hello,

One to three sentences

Order numbers, personal detail, argument. A negative review gets the fix, not a defence.

Hepsiburada · product questions

Anyone

Hello, (no name)

Short to medium, answered inside one working day

Links, phone, e-mail, account handles.

Hepsiburada · reviews

Anyone

Hello,

One to three sentences

Order numbers, personal detail.

N11 · product questions

Anyone

Hello,

Short to medium

Links, phone, e-mail, account handles. Answered by hand in the panel.

Pazarama · product questions

Anyone

Hello,

Short to medium

Links, phone, e-mail, account handles. Answered by hand in the panel.

Instagram · comments

Anyone

Hello, informal

One or two sentences, under 300 characters

Links, phone, full address. Anything negative moves to a message rather than a thread.

Instagram · direct messages

One customer

Hello, first name where the handle gives one

Medium

Nothing structural; order numbers and photos may be asked for here.

One customer

Hello,

Medium, warm

Nothing structural. Card numbers are never asked for; the last four digits are the most that may be requested.

Mailbox

One customer

Hello, / Dear <name>, on a formal thread

Medium to long, signed

Unsigned messages. Tax and invoice detail stays in the thread and out of the log.

Complaint site

Anyone

Hello,

Medium, formal

Order numbers, addresses, phone. Apology, fix, and an invitation to a private channel.

Phone

One customer

—

Notes, not sentences

Omni writes the note before the call and the log after it. The call itself is a person's.

Template

Situation

Where

Variables

Used

Sent unedited

Updated

Quotes

templates/reviews/thanks.md

Thanks for a good review

Public surfaces

{detail}

210

98%

9 Apr

voice/tone.md

templates/product/grind-advice.md

Which grind for which machine

Anywhere

{product} {machine}

148

94%

19 Aug

products/<sku>.md

templates/shipping/delivery-time.md

How long will it take

Anywhere

{city}

131

97%

2 Jul

process/shipping.md

templates/stock/restock-date.md

When is it back, date known

Public surfaces

{eta} {alternative}

92%

27 Aug

stock

templates/returns/marketplace-inside-15-days.md

Return inside the legal window

Private only

none

96%

11 Jun

process/returns.md

templates/reviews/negative.md

Negative review with a solvable cause

Public surfaces

{cause}

73%

6 Sep

process/returns.md

templates/missing-wrong/marketplace-claim.md

Missing or wrong item on a marketplace

Private only

{order_no} {item}

88%

8 Sep

process/missing-wrong.md

templates/payment/transfer-pending.md

Bank transfer not matched yet

Private only

{order_no}

90%

30 Jul

process/transfer.md

templates/stock/restock-soon.md

When is it back, no date yet

Public surfaces

{alternative}

89%

27 Aug

stock

templates/missing-wrong/direct-channel.md

Missing or wrong item, direct channel

Private only

{order_no}

80%

8 Sep

process/missing-wrong.md

templates/general/forwarded.md

Not for this desk, passed on

Private only

{owner}

95%

22 Mar

routing.md

templates/shipping/not-received.md

Marked delivered, never arrived

Private only

{order_no}

71%

2 Sep

process/shipping.md

templates/product/unknown.md

The brain has no answer yet

Anywhere

{missing}

77%

5 Aug

voice/tone.md

templates/product/health-question.md

Diet, health or medical question

Anywhere

{product}

100%

1 Sep

voice/tone.md

templates/invoice/reissue.md

Invoice to a company after dispatch

Private only

{order_no}

95%

16 May

process/invoice.md

templates/general/genuine.md

Is it genuine

Public surfaces

none

100%

30 Jun

voice/tone.md

templates/returns/refund-late.md

Refund later than promised

Anywhere

{return_date} {batch_date}

58%

13 Sep

process/returns.md

templates/wholesale/enquiry.md

Wholesale or office enquiry

Private only

none

83%

14 Aug

routing.md

templates/general/visit.md

Can I come to the roastery

Public surfaces

none

94%

30 Jun

voice/tone.md

templates/subscription/double-charge.md

Charged twice on a subscription

Private only

none

67%

4 Sep

process/payments.md

Question

What the shop says

Owner

Version

Checked

Where do I find the tracking number?

kb/shipping/tracking.md

The channel the order was placed on sends it as soon as the parcel is handed to the courier. On a marketplace it sits on the order page; it is never posted under a listing.

Desk lead

14 Jul

When does an order leave?

kb/shipping/cut-off.md

Orders placed before 15:00 on a working day leave the same day. Most addresses have it the next day, two at the outside; the courier's own estimate shows on the order once it is dispatched.

Warehouse

28 Aug

Does anything ship at the weekend?

kb/shipping/weekend.md

Nothing leaves on a Saturday or a Sunday. An order placed after 15:00 on a Friday is dispatched on Monday.

Warehouse

28 Aug

It says delivered but nothing came

kb/shipping/marked-delivered.md

We open an enquiry with the courier the same day, and the courier has 48 hours to say where the parcel was left. If it is not found in that time we send the order again at our cost.

Desk lead

2 Sep

It arrived damaged

kb/shipping/damaged-in-transit.md

Damage in transit is ours to put right. A photograph of the item and of the box is enough, and the replacement goes out the day the request is approved.

Warehouse

8 Sep

Subject

Owner

Promised

Wholesale, cafe and office enquiries

Sales

Two working days

Invoice, tax and corporate billing

Accounting

Next working day

Missing, wrong or damaged items

Warehouse

Same day if before 15:00

Refunds and payment disputes

Finance

Thursday list, paid Friday

Press, collaborations and content

Marketing

Three working days

Job applications

People

One working day to acknowledge

Supplier and equipment offers

Purchasing

No promise given

Anything about the roast itself

Roastery

Same week