Phrases for Asking for Clarification in Business Communication with Examples

When we ask for a sincere response on a serious issue, the reply we get is sometimes evasive — just a generic, boilerplate answer that avoids the real questions. In this artilce, you'll find different ways to talk about those templated replies, whether you're in a formal setting or keeping things casual and maybe even a little humorous.

Formal or Neutral Expressions

Standard response
"We received a standard response to our formal inquiry."

Template answer
"The reply appears to be a template answer, lacking case-specific detail."

Canned response
"Their support team issued a canned response that didn’t resolve the issue."

Pre-prepared statement
"She delivered a pre-prepared statement to avoid misinterpretation."

Official line
"The spokesperson repeated the official line on the matter."

Scripted reply
"It was a scripted reply—clearly designed to control the narrative."

Generic answer
"We received a generic answer that failed to clarify their position."

Form letter (A standardized letter to deal with frequently occurring matters.)
"Their response felt like a form letter with no personal acknowledgment."

Corporate speak
"The message was full of corporate speak with no concrete action."

PR-safe statement
"They released a PR-safe statement crafted to minimize public fallout."

Informal or Idiomatic Expressions

Cookie-cutter response
"That was a cookie-cutter response. Nothing original or helpful."

Cut-and-paste reply
"Looks like a cut-and-paste reply from their FAQ page."

By-the-book answer
"She gave a by-the-book answer, no personal insight at all."

Stock answer
"He always has a stock answer for tough questions."

Going through the motions
"They were just going through the motions, not really engaging."

Same old song and dance
"It’s the same old song and dance—they never take responsibility."

Rubber-stamped reply
"It felt like a rubber-stamped reply, not an actual response."

Paint-by-numbers response
"That was such a paint-by-numbers response—no depth or nuance."

Talking point
"He kept repeating the party's talking points instead of answering the question."

Boilerplate PR fluff"It was just boilerplate PR fluff, no substance."