---
name: service-guarantee
description: "Creates service guarantees and satisfaction commitments with specific terms, exclusions, and claim procedures."
allowed-tools: Read Write Glob
metadata:
  author: matthewhitcham
  version: "1.0"
---

# Service Guarantee

## When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:
- Create a service guarantee that builds buyer confidence
- Define specific guarantee terms, conditions, and exclusions
- Design a claim process that is fair to both parties
- Use guarantees as a competitive differentiator and conversion tool

**DO NOT** use this skill for product warranties, money-back refund policies, or legal compliance documents. This is for service provider satisfaction guarantees. Have a lawyer review before publishing.

---

## Core Principle

A SERVICE GUARANTEE THAT IS TOO VAGUE IS MEANINGLESS AND ONE THAT IS TOO BROAD WILL BANKRUPT YOU — THE BEST GUARANTEES ARE SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, AND TIED TO YOUR ACTUAL DELIVERY STANDARDS.

---

## Phase 1: Guarantee Design

### Required Inputs

| Input | What to Ask | Default |
|-------|------------|---------|
| **Service offered** | "What service does this guarantee cover?" | No default — must be provided |
| **Guarantee type** | "Satisfaction guarantee, results guarantee, or performance guarantee?" | Satisfaction guarantee |
| **Remedy** | "What do you offer if the guarantee is triggered — refund, redo, credit?" | Redo the work at no charge |
| **Conditions** | "What must the client do for the guarantee to apply?" | Provide feedback within 14 days of delivery |
| **Risk tolerance** | "How much financial risk can you absorb from guarantee claims?" | Low — less than 5% of revenue |

**GATE: Confirm guarantee type and remedy before writing the terms.**

---

## Phase 2: Guarantee Types

### Option 1: Satisfaction Guarantee

```
## Our Satisfaction Guarantee

If you're not satisfied with [deliverable], we'll revise it until you are —
at no additional cost — within [30] days of delivery.

**How it works:**
1. Review your deliverables within [14] days of delivery
2. Provide specific written feedback on what needs to change
3. We'll complete revisions within [X] business days
4. If you're still not satisfied after [2] rounds of revisions, we'll
   [refund X% / provide credit toward future work]

**Conditions:**
- Feedback must be specific and actionable (not "I don't like it")
- Original project brief and approved scope are the reference for satisfaction
- Changes to the original scope or direction are not covered
```

### Option 2: Results Guarantee

```
## Our Results Guarantee

If [specific measurable outcome] is not achieved within [timeframe],
we will [remedy].

**Example:** "If your website conversion rate does not improve by at least
15% within 90 days of launch, we will optimize it for an additional 90 days
at no charge."

**Conditions:**
- Client must implement all recommendations as specified
- Measurement method agreed upon before project starts
- External factors outside our control (algorithm changes, market shifts)
  are excluded
- Client must provide necessary access and data for measurement
```

### Option 3: Performance Guarantee

```
## Our Performance Guarantee

We guarantee the following performance standards on every engagement:

- All deliverables completed by the agreed deadline or [remedy]
- Communication response within [24] hours on business days
- [X] rounds of revisions included at no additional charge
- All work meets [specified quality standard]

**If we fail to meet any standard:**
- First occurrence: [Credit toward future work / extended revisions]
- Repeated occurrence: [Partial refund / right to terminate]
```

---

## Phase 3: Terms & Exclusions

### Essential Terms

Every guarantee must include:

1. **What is guaranteed** — specific, measurable commitment
2. **Timeframe** — when the guarantee applies and expires
3. **Conditions** — what the client must do for the guarantee to be valid
4. **Remedy** — exactly what happens if the guarantee is triggered
5. **Claim process** — step-by-step instructions for making a claim
6. **Exclusions** — what is NOT covered

### Common Exclusions

- Changes in project direction or scope after work has begun
- Delays caused by the client (late feedback, missing assets)
- Third-party failures (hosting, platforms, APIs)
- Results affected by factors outside the provider's control
- Services rendered more than [X] days ago
- Clients who have not paid in full

### Claim Process Template

```
## How to Make a Guarantee Claim

1. Email [email] with the subject line "Guarantee Claim — [Project Name]"
2. Describe the specific issue and how it relates to the guarantee
3. Include any relevant documentation or evidence
4. We will acknowledge your claim within [2] business days
5. Resolution will be provided within [X] business days of acknowledgment
```

---

## Phase 4: Implementation

### Where to Display the Guarantee

- Service/pricing page on your website (near the CTA)
- Proposals and contracts (dedicated section)
- Sales conversations (verbal reference with written follow-up)
- Email signatures during active engagements
- Testimonials that mention the guarantee experience

### Guarantee as a Sales Tool

```
## Sales Copy Example

"Every [service] comes with our [Guarantee Name]. If [specific commitment],
we'll [specific remedy] — no questions asked.

We can offer this because [reason — track record, methodology, confidence
in your process]. In [X] years, we've honored this guarantee [X] times
out of [X] projects — and every client walked away satisfied."
```

### Tracking and Review

| Metric | Track | Review |
|--------|-------|--------|
| Guarantee claim rate | Per quarter | Under 5% is healthy |
| Claim resolution time | Per claim | Under 5 business days |
| Client retention after claim | Per claim | Did they return? |
| Revenue impact of claims | Quarterly | Total cost of remedies |

---

## Anti-Patterns

- **Vague guarantees** — "100% satisfaction guaranteed" with no terms is legally risky and commercially meaningless.
- **No exclusions** — every guarantee needs boundaries. Without exclusions, bad-faith clients exploit the guarantee.
- **Guaranteeing things you cannot control** — do not guarantee revenue increases if the client controls implementation.
- **Hiding the guarantee** — if you have a guarantee, promote it. A hidden guarantee does not build buyer confidence.
- **Making claims difficult** — requiring a phone call, 3 forms, and a notarized letter discourages legitimate claims.
- **No financial cap** — unlimited liability from a guarantee can be devastating. Cap your exposure.

---

## Recovery

- **High claim rate:** The guarantee is not the problem — your delivery is. Fix quality and process before adjusting guarantee terms.
- **Client abusing the guarantee:** Document the pattern, reference the conditions and exclusions, and have a direct conversation.
- **Guarantee scares you financially:** Start with a revision guarantee (redo the work) rather than a refund guarantee. Lower financial risk.
- **Competitor has a stronger guarantee:** Differentiate on specificity and track record. "We guarantee X metric" beats "100% money back."
- **Client threatens to invoke guarantee as leverage:** Stay professional. Apply the guarantee terms as written. Do not negotiate under pressure.
