Canned messages

A canned message is a saved reply your team can send in a click. Save the answers you give every day, such as delivery times, return policy or size guide, and nobody types them again.

They also keep answers consistent. Whoever is on shift, a customer asking about returns gets the same, correct policy.

Create a canned message

Go to Manage → Canned Messages.
Click Create.

Enter a Name that says what it is for, such as Return policy or Delivery time. This is what your team searches for.
Pick the Message Type:
- Text: up to 4,096 characters.
- Media: an image, file, audio or video, from a public link or your media library, with optional text.

Write the message. Check the preview.
Click Submit.

You can save up to 200 canned messages.

Personalise them

Canned messages can use the same formatting and attributes as templates.

Use	Write	Becomes
Bold	`7 days`	7 days
Italics	`_free returns_`	free returns
The customer's first name	`$FirstName`	Priya

For example:

Hi $FirstName, you can track your order any time from the link in your shipping message.

$FirstName fills itself in with the customer's first name.

Send one in Live Chat

In an open chat, type / in the message box, or click the bookmark icon next to the media library.
Pick the canned message.
Send it.

Favourites. Each person can bookmark the canned messages they use most, so they show up first. Bookmarks are personal and do not change anyone else's list.

Which ones to write first

Read the last week of chats and count the questions. The same few come up again and again. For most stores they are:

Delivery time. How long, to which cities, and how to track.
Returns and exchanges. How many days, what condition, how to start one.
Sizing. Your size guide, as text or an image.
Cash on delivery. Whether you offer it, and any limits.
Order status. A reply that asks for the order number, or gives the tracking link.
Out of stock. A kind reply that offers to tell them when it is back.

Six good canned messages go a long way.

Keep them honest

A canned message is only as good as it is current. When your return window changes from 7 days to 15, every agent will keep sending "7 days" until someone updates the canned message. Give one person the job of keeping them right, and review them whenever a policy changes.

Do not let them make you sound like a machine. Send the canned answer, then add a line for this customer: "And yes, the blue one is in stock in medium." The saved part saves time. The personal part closes the sale.