Ask For The Shape Of The Answer

Format Is Part Of The Request

If the final answer needs to go into an ops meeting, ask for that format upfront. Otherwise the model may give a useful answer in a shape that still requires manual cleanup.

For operator workflows, specify the table columns, sort order, takeaways, exact records to inspect, and required caveats before the model calls tools.

Useful Answer Shapes

• Show a table.
• Sort by revenue descending.
• Include SKU, product title, ASIN, revenue, units, and orders.
• Give me the top 3 takeaways.
• Show exact campaigns, keywords, or SKUs to inspect.
• Include source, date range, and caveats.

Copyable Prompt

Use Agent Central to show last week's top 20 SKUs by ordered revenue.

Return a table sorted by revenue descending.

Include SKU, product title, ASIN, revenue, units, orders, exact date range, data source, and caveats.

After the table, give me the top 3 takeaways and the exact SKUs to inspect.

Reusable Format Template

Use Agent Central to [analysis request].

Return the answer in this shape:
- First: one-sentence summary
- Then: table with [columns]
- Sort by [metric] [ascending/descending]
- Then: top 3 takeaways
- Then: exact SKUs, ASINs, campaigns, keywords, or orders to inspect
- Include source, date range, and caveats

Common Fixes