A canned response is a saved reply with a short code. Type the code in the composer and the full text appears, filled in for the customer. Everyone in your organisation shares the same list.

Use a canned response

Type / in an empty reply to list your canned responses by shortcut.

1. 1Shortcut list

Type / and part of a shortcut, then pick the response — it lands in the reply, ready to edit.

1. Open a conversation, with the composer on Reply.

2. In an empty composer, type / followed by the start of the shortcut, for example /refund. A picker lists matching responses.

3. Use the arrow keys, then press Enter or Tab to insert the one you want. Press Esc to close the picker.

4. Edit the text if you like, then send.

Some things to know about the picker:

• It only opens when the whole draft is a single /shortcut token. Typing a slash in the middle of a sentence does nothing.
• It lists up to six responses. Matches on the start of the shortcut come first, then matches elsewhere in the shortcut or the text.
• Inserting replaces the /shortcut you typed. If the composer has other text by then, the response is added at your cursor instead.
• Variables in the response, such as the customer's name, are filled in for this customer as it's inserted, so you see exactly what will be sent. A variable with no value stays as a placeholder and blocks sending until you deal with it. See Reply to a conversation.

Create or edit a response

You need permission to manage canned responses. Without it, you can use the list but not change it.

1. Open Inbox, then Settings, then the Canned tab.

2. Select New response.

3. Enter a Shortcut. You type it as /shortcut in the composer, so choose something short you'll remember.

4. Enter the Content. You can include variables.

5. Save. The response is available to everyone straight away.

To change one, select Edit on its row. A shortcut must be unique: if it's taken you see "That shortcut is already in use."

Delete a response

Select the delete button on the row and confirm. The message warns you: "Agents lose this shortcut immediately." Replies already sent are not affected.

Tips for a good library

• Keep shortcuts predictable, such as /hours, /refund and /thanks.
• Write for the weakest channel you use. WhatsApp and Telegram show only basic formatting, and Messenger and Instagram show plain text, so a response with a list or a link in markup may look different there.
• Prefer variables to hard-coded names so one response works for every customer.
• If a reply needs several actions at once, such as setting the priority and adding a label as well, use a macro instead.

MacrosBundle several actions into one click.Keyboard shortcutsSpeed up the rest of your day in the Inbox.