How to Create and Edit Canned Chat Responses

Canned chat responses are predefined messages that you can send to customers as standard replies. Using canned responses can save time by reducing repetitive typing and helping you respond consistently.

For example, instead of typing the same greeting for every chat, you can create a reusable response such as Hello, my name is %AF. How may I help you today?

In Agent Desktop 2.0, canned chat responses include expanded management features. Responses can be organized into folders, assigned optional titles, shared with teams or the entire contact center, depending on permissions, and imported or exported for reuse across environments.

You can create your own personal responses, as well as use shared responses made available by supervisors or administrators.

Key Features

• Optional titles for responses
• Folder-based organization
• Personal, team, or system-wide sharing (depending on permissions)
• Import and export of shared responses
• Rich text formatting using HTML tags
• Placeholder variables for agent and customer names

	Response text must be unique within its folder. Responses can contain up to 20,000 characters. Optional titles can contain up to 256 characters. Folder names can contain up to 256 characters. Folder nesting is limited to 10 levels.

Create a New Response

1. Click your user icon in the upper-right corner of Agent Desktop and select Settings.
   
   
2. Select Chat Settings from the menu on the left.
   
   
3. In the Canned Chat Responses section, click the edit icon next to Manage canned chat responses.
   
   
4. Click New response.
   
   
5. Enter the response text.
   
   
6. Optionally, enter a title to help identify the response.
   
   
7. Save your changes.

Creating a new canned chat response

Edit an Existing Response

1. Open Settings > Chat Settings > Manage canned chat responses.
   
   
2. Locate the response you want to edit.
   
   
3. Click the three dots next to the response and select Edit.
   
   
4. Modify the title or response text.
   
   
5. Save your changes.

To delete a response, click the three dots and select Delete. A confirmation message will appear before deletion.

Editing a canned chat response

Organize Responses in Folders

Folders help organize large numbers of canned responses.

1. In the canned responses window, click New folder.
   
   
2. Enter a folder name.
   
   
3. Save the folder.
   
   
4. Open the folder to add or manage responses within it.

Folders are sorted alphabetically. If a location contains both folders and responses, folders appear first.

Depending on your permissions, folders may be shared:

• Personal folders are visible only to you.
• Team folders may be shared with users on specific teams by team supervisors.
• System-wide folders may be shared with all users if you have the Manage canned chat responses system-wide privilege.

	When a folder is shared, all responses inside that folder inherit the same visibility.

Import and Export Responses

Users with the Manage canned chat responses system-wide privilege can export or import shared canned chat responses.

Importing and exporting responses can be useful for:

• Moving responses from a sandbox environment to production
• Replacing outdated shared messaging with updated versions

Use the import and export controls in the Canned Chat Responses section.

Importing and exporting canned chat responses

Use Variables in Responses

You can personalize canned responses with placeholders.

Variable	Description
%AF	Your first name
%AL	Your last name
%F	Customer first name
%L	Customer last name

Example:

Hello %F, my name is %AF. How may I assist you today?

Include Rich Formatting

Canned responses can include standard HTML tags for formatting.

Format	Example
Bold	<b>Important update</b>
Italic	<i>Please review</i>
Underline	<u>Required field</u>
Link	<a href="https://example.com">Open link</a>

When inserted into an active chat, supported formatting is displayed to the customer.

Use Canned Responses During Chats

During an active chat interaction, you can insert canned chat responses into the message field by browsing folders or searching for a response.

1. Begin an active chat interaction.
   
   
2. In the message field, type a semicolon ; or click the quote icon from the + menu.
   
   
3. The canned response selector will open and display available top-level folders and responses in alphabetical order. Folders are listed first.
   
   
4. To search for a response, continue typing after the semicolon. Matching folders or responses on the current level will be displayed.
   
   
5. Use the arrow keys or mouse to select an item.
   
   
6. If you select a folder, press Enter or click it to open the folder.
   
   
7. If you select a response, press Enter or click it to insert the response text into the message field.
   
   
8. Edit the inserted text if desired.
   
   
9. Press Enter or click Send message to send the message to the customer.

Press Esc to close the canned response selector without inserting a response.

Greetings Folder

Agent Desktop 2.0 includes a predefined Greetings folder. This folder always appears at the top of the response list and cannot be renamed or deleted.