Agent Insider Lab Put AI Agents to Work for Your Business.
Idea or playbook

Telling Customers About a Price Change

For: Marketing · Difficulty: Beginner

The problem: Your costs went up, and you need to raise prices. You're dreading the emails, and you don't want to lose loyal customers.

What you end up with: A clear, kind price change notice with the new price, the start date, and the reason, sent with enough notice.

What you'll need

The old and new prices, the start date, and a short, honest reason.

Getting set up

How much notice will your customers get? Pick a start date first. Google lists Gemini in Gmail and Docs, and Microsoft says Copilot works in Outlook and Word. Be honest about why. Customers appreciate a plain reason. Example: a dog daycare is raising its full-day rate from $38 to $42 on March 1 because of higher rent and staff wages. The owner gives the AI those numbers and the reason. It drafts a short email, a front desk sign, and a social post. The owner adds that current punch cards will be honored at the old price, and sends the email four weeks early. (Our illustration with made-up numbers.)

Step by step

  1. Decide the new prices and the start date.
  2. Write one honest sentence about why.
  3. Ask the AI for an email, a short post, and a counter sign.
  4. Check every price and date.
  5. Add anything you'll keep the same, like loyalty perks.
  6. Send it with plenty of notice.
  7. Reply personally to questions.

A prompt to start with

Copy this prompt, then make it your own. "Write a short, warm email telling my customers about a price change. Old price: [x]. New price: [y]. Starts: [date]. Reason: [reason]. Thank them for their support and say how to reach me with questions. Use only these numbers, and don't add discounts I didn't mention."

What you'll get

A price change email, post, and sign, ready for your review. You'll also have a short reply template for customer questions. Time it takes: about 30 minutes, plus time to answer replies. Sample opening line (made up): "Starting March 1, our full-day rate will be $42. Rent and wages have gone up, and we want to keep paying our team well. Your current punch cards still work at the old price."

If something goes wrong

If it sounds too apologetic, ask for a confident, friendly tone. If it adds offers you didn't mention, remove them. If customers reply upset, answer personally and thank them. If the email feels long, ask for three short paragraphs.

Keep in mind

Check the terms of any contracts, memberships, or subscriptions before changing prices for those customers. Make it a habit: review prices on a set schedule, like once a year, so changes are smaller and expected.

Sources

Where each fact came from

Heads-up: some links here may become affiliate links down the road. Here's how that works. Right now, no affiliate programs are connected.