SUPPORT WRITING GUIDE
How to ask a customer for the information you need
Turn a vague support request into a specific question, a clear reason and an easy way to reply, with a Vellix wording-review step in Gorgias.
Ask for the missing fact, with a reason and reply route
Before
Could you send more information about your order?
After
Which item was missing from the package? Reply here with the item name so I can compare it with the order.
Fictional case: the agent has already identified the order, but the customer has not named the missing item. The question asks for that gap without requesting the order details again. The current conversation is an approved place to provide the item name.
Before
Please send a screenshot and more details about the problem.
After
What exact message appears when you select Save? Reply here with the message text so I can find the relevant troubleshooting guidance.
Fictional case: the agent knows that selecting Save produces a message, and the customer may share its text in the current conversation. The wording requests that specific observation. It does not add a screenshot or unrelated account details.
Identify the gap before writing the question
Read what the customer has already provided. Name the fact you still need and the next action it will support. If the answer is already in the conversation, use it rather than asking the customer to repeat it.
Gorgias recommends reviewing ticket context and customer history before replying. For an information request, make that a practical check: what do you know already, and what is still missing?
Both comparisons above are fictional writing exercises. They are not customer messages, Vellix outputs or measured results. Use them only when the stated assumptions fit the case you are handling.
Explain why that answer matters
Replace “more details” with the information you need. Add a short reason tied to an action you can take. In the missing-item example, the item name lets the agent compare the report with the identified order.
GOV.UK’s question-page guidance recommends asking only for information you need, making the purpose clear and avoiding repeat requests. That guidance concerns service forms. Applying those principles to a support reply is the editorial approach used here.
Keep the reason accurate. “So I can check the order” commits to a check. It does not promise a replacement, refund or diagnosis before you have established what should happen.
Make the response straightforward
Tell the customer how to answer. “Reply here with the item name” identifies both the response and the route. Use the collection method your team permits for the particular information.
If a file or image is needed, specify what it should show and where to provide it. If the customer may not know the answer, give a useful alternative they can actually follow instead of asking them to guess.
Before sending, check that every question supports the next action. Remove requests that are already answered or unnecessary. This guide covers the first information request; a later reminder should refer back to the outstanding question.
Sources and editorial note
Examples are fictional. Sources for the platform guidance are linked below.