Canned responses

Canned responses are saved replies to common questions. Type / in the reply box, pick one, and the full message is inserted. Variables fill in the customer's name, order number and tracking details for you. Your AI agent also learns from them.

Add a canned response#

1. Go to Settings → Canned responses. It sits under Conversation tools
2. Click Add canned response
3. Enter a Short code. This is the name you type after / to find the response. It needs at least 2 characters and must be unique
4. Write the Message. Click Variables or type {{ to open the variable list
5. Optional: add files under Attachments (optional). They are sent every time the response is used
6. Click Submit

You can also save a reply you already sent: hover over the message, click ... and choose Add to canned responses.

To change or remove a response, use Edit or Delete on its row. Export downloads all of them as a CSV file. Agents, managers and administrators can all add, edit and delete canned responses.

Use a canned response#

In the reply box, type / and start typing the short code or a word from the response. Pick it from the list and the text is inserted, with its attachments. You can edit the text before you send it.

This works on every channel, when replying to social comments, and in a new email you start yourself. Variables are filled in the moment you insert the response, so you see the final text before sending.

Variables#

Customer

• {{contact.name}}: the contact's full name

• {{contact.first_name}}: the first word of the name

• {{contact.last_name}}: the last word of the name. Empty when the name is a single word

• {{contact.email}} and {{contact.phone}}: the contact's email address and phone number

• {{contact.id}}: Commslayer's internal ID for the contact

Conversation

• {{conversation.id}}: the ticket number

Agent

• {{agent.name}}, {{agent.first_name}}, {{agent.last_name}} and {{agent.email}}: the teammate who inserts the response. This can differ from the ticket's assignee

Latest order

• {{order.name}}: the order number as your customer knows it, for example #1042. Use this one to quote the order number

• {{order.id}}: Shopify's long internal order ID, for example 5523487563

• {{order.created_at}}: the order date and time

• {{order.tracking_number}} and {{order.tracking_url}}: from the order's most recent shipment

• {{order.shipping_date}}: when the most recent shipment was created. It is inserted as a full date and time, so check how it reads before you send

• {{order.delivery_date}}: the date the carrier delivered the order. Empty until it is delivered

• {{order.delivery_status}}: the fulfillment status from Shopify

• {{order.status_url}}: link to the Shopify order status page

• {{order.country}}: the shipping country

• {{order.shipping_address}}: street, city, postcode and country

Where the values come from:

• Customer values come from the contact on the conversation. When the contact matches a Shopify customer, the name is the one stored in Shopify.

• Order values come from the customer's most recent Shopify order. The customer is matched by email address first, then by phone number. You can't choose a different order.

• In a new email you start yourself, enter the recipient before you insert the response, so the variables have someone to fill from.

Good to know#

• Shared with the whole team. Everyone sees and can edit every canned response. They can't be private or limited to one inbox or store. For a template only you can see, create a private macro with a Send a message action.

• No subject line or recipient. Only the message and attachments are saved.

• They don't send by themselves. For automatic replies, use an automation rule or a macro.

• No bulk import from a file. An AI assistant connected to your account can create them for you.

• No list of order items. Order variables cover the number, dates, tracking, status and address.

Using Macros →

Connect Claude and ChatGPT via MCP →

Canned responses and the AI agent#

Every canned response is part of your AI agent's knowledge by default. To stop the AI agent from using one, go to AI agent → Knowledge → Canned responses and switch off Active on that row. The response stays available to your team. To change its wording, edit it in Settings → Canned responses.

After a migration#

The migration tool brings over saved replies from Gorgias, Zendesk, Help Scout, Re:amaze, Front, Freshdesk and Kustomer. Zendesk and Gorgias macros arrive as canned responses. Check Settings → Canned responses before writing new ones.

• Converted for you: the common customer name and email placeholders. They show up as {{ contact.first_name }} and similar. The spaces inside the braces are fine.

• Not converted: order, tracking and other placeholders. Replace them with variables from the list above.

• Help Scout: placeholders are not converted. They stay in the message as written, for example {%customer.firstName%}, and would be sent to the customer like that. Replace them before you use the response.

Insert a few imported responses in a test conversation and check what comes out.

Common problems#

The name comes out blank

The contact has no real name yet, for example an anonymous chat visitor.

Order variables come out blank

The contact did not match a Shopify customer, or the customer has no orders. Check that the contact's email is the one used in Shopify.

"Undefined variables" when sending

The name between the braces is not on the list above, or it is an order variable and no Shopify order was found for this customer. Fix the spelling or remove the variable.

I can't find Canned responses in Settings

It is under Conversation tools, for every role. You can also press Cmd + K (Mac) or Ctrl + K (Windows) and choose Go to canned response settings.