In customer service, you’re likely to find yourself answering many of the same questions day in and day out. And your customers are likely to want these answers quickly—in live chat, just 45 seconds, in fact. What if there was a way to solve both of these demands simply and seamlessly? Enter the canned response.
Have you heard of this essential customer service trick? Are you using it as effectively as possible? And, more importantly, are you using the right software (like Magical!) to implement it across all your platforms? We’re here to help.
Let’s take a look.
What is a canned response?
A canned response is a pre-written, pre-approved reply to common queries that regularly crop up in customer service. They’re one of the easiest ways for your customer service team to respond quickly and efficiently when they’re receiving a high volume of questions.
They also help to keep your responses standardized and accurate, so that everyone who comes across your business has the same, consistent experience.
Canned responses can be used in live chats, emails, text messages, on social media, and even as scripts over the phone—essentially, across every customer experience touchpoint.
Why is it called a canned response?
If something’s in the can, it’s ready to go the minute you open it. Canned responses are exactly that—they’re pre-prepared and ready to roll.
You may be familiar with Gmail’s canned responses. These responses scan your emails and suggest the types of replies you’re likely to want to send through personalized canned responses.
34 examples of canned responses
We’ve put together a selection of canned response examples that you can use in different scenarios. Having these on hand will not only save you time and keep your customers happy, they could also contribute to your bottom line.
Some 96% of customers say customer service is important in their choice of loyalty to a brand. And loyal customers are a good thing—they’re easier and more cost-effective to manage, and they’re likely to spend more with your business over time, up to 300% more, in fact.
Canned responses can help. Here are a few canned response templates for you to use.
Greetings
- Hello {Name}, how can I help you today?
- Hi {Name}, great to see you again. What can I help you with today?
Acknowledging receipt
- Thank you for getting in touch with us. We’re closed at the moment but our customer service team will get back to you when we open {tomorrow/on Monday} at {time}.
- Thank you for contacting us. Our business hours are from {time} to {time}. We’ll get back to you as soon as we’re back in the office.
- Hello {Name}, you contacted us while we were offline {yesterday/on Friday}, thank you for leaving your message for us. My name is {Name} and I’ll be helping you with your query today.
- Thank you for your message. We’re looking into your query and will get back to you as soon as we can.
- We’re still working on your query and will respond to you soon. Thank you for your patience.
- Thank you for contacting us. All our agents are busy right now. You are number {x} in the queue. We will respond to you in approximately {x} minutes.
Asking for more information
- Before we continue, I need a bit of information in order to access your account. Are you willing to answer a few questions for me please?
- Can you give me your {date of birth/email address/phone number} so that I can log into your account please?
Transferring to another agent
- In order to give you the best service today, I’m going to transfer you to our {other} department who will be able to assist you with this query. Please wait a moment.
- I don’t know the answer to that question unfortunately. Please wait for a minute while I transfer you to my colleague who will be able to help you.
Features
- Thank you for your interest in our latest features. Is there something specific you’d like to learn more about?
- Thank you for your interest in our features. If you’d like to take a look at a comprehensive list, you can access it {here}.
- Thank you for suggesting {new feature} to us. We’re always looking for new ways to innovate and will be sure to pass on your idea to our research and development team.
- Thank you for your query. Unfortunately, we don’t offer that particular feature at the moment.
- Hello {Name}, we just wanted to let you know that the new feature you asked about is here. We haven’t released an official announcement yet, but since you asked about it, we thought we’d let you know first. Check it out {here} and let us know what you think!
Problems and solutions
- Thank you for letting us know about the problem. We’re sorry about the inconvenience it’s caused you and are doing our best to fix it as soon as we can.
- We’ve looked at the issue you’ve raised and have identified the problem. Thank you for bringing it to our attention. We’re sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. We expect to have this fixed by {date and time} and will keep you updated. In the meantime, can I offer you {alternative solution/voucher/discount}?
- I’m sorry about the trouble you’ve experienced. Let’s find a solution for it.
- We’re pleased to tell you that the problem you identified has been resolved. Thank you again for informing us about it.
- We’re pleased to say that we’ve come up with a few solutions to help you.
- We will be processing your refund within {number of} working days.
- Would you be willing to consider an {alternative solution/voucher/discount} as compensation?
Encouraging further communication
- Would you like to arrange a demo so that we can talk you through this in person?
- If you like, we can arrange a {conference call/meeting} by clicking on this {link} to talk through our features with you.
- Is there anything else I can do to help you today?
- Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any further questions.
Ratings and reviews
- Great, we’re happy to help. While you’re here, would you mind answering a quick survey based on your experience today? It’ll take no more than {x} minutes of your time.
- Were you happy with the {product or service} you purchased?
- Were you satisfied with the quality of the service you received today?
- How would you rate our customer support?
- Thank you for the feedback you provided. We’re sorry to hear that we didn’t meet your expectations. We will use your feedback to work on this problem so that we can perform better in future.
- Thank you so much for the positive feedback. We hope to continue to give you great service.
Delivering canned responses magically 🪄
How do you go about using these canned responses? With Magical, that’s how.
With Magical, you can save your perfectly-crafted messages—every canned response template you’d ever need—as simple shortcuts. With two keystrokes, you can both insert chunks of text and personalize certain sections with ease. This whole process could save you up to 7 hours a week. That’s almost a whole working day.
As a browser extension, Magical works like a charm wherever you need it on the web. No complex setup required, and no coding whatsoever.
