Canned Responses#
Canned Responses are reusable reply templates that agents can insert into the conversation reply box with a single keyboard shortcut. They cut response time for common questions and keep messaging consistent across the team.
Creating a Canned Response#
Go to Desk → Settings → Canned Responses → Add Canned Response and configure:
- Short code — the shortcut used to insert the template (e.g.,
refund-policy,welcome,shipping-eta) - Content — the message body, with optional rich formatting and variable placeholders
Canned responses are workspace-scoped and visible to all agents.
Variable Placeholders#
Templates can include dynamic variables that are replaced at insertion time:
| Placeholder | Value inserted |
|---|---|
{{ contact.name }} | The customer’s full name |
{{ contact.email }} | The customer’s email address |
{{ agent.name }} | The logged-in agent’s display name |
{{ conversation.id }} | Conversation number |
This makes it easy to personalize greetings and signatures while keeping the template generic.
Inserting Into a Reply#
Inside the reply box, type / followed by the short code — Desk shows a live-filtering dropdown as you type. Press Enter or Tab to insert the full content. You can then edit the message before sending.
Alternatively, click the lightning bolt icon next to the reply box to browse all available canned responses.
Management Tips#
- Group responses by use case with prefixed short codes (
billing-*,tech-*,welcome-*) - Review canned responses quarterly and retire outdated wording
- Avoid embedding time-sensitive information (prices, dates) directly — link to the Knowledge Base instead so updates propagate automatically