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Canned Responses

Last updated May 4, 2026 · 1638 views

Canned Responses in Velaro V20

Canned responses are pre-written message templates that agents can insert into conversations with a single click or keyboard shortcut. They reduce handle time, enforce consistent language, and help agents respond accurately even on unfamiliar topics.

Creating a Canned Response

  1. Go to Settings → Canned Responses in the admin console.
  2. Click New Canned Response.
  3. Enter a shortcode — a short keyword agents type to trigger the suggestion (e.g., refund, hours, escalate).
  4. Enter the message body. You can include variables using double-brace syntax: {{visitor.name}}, {{agent.name}}, {{conversation.id}}.
  5. Assign to a team (optional) to make it available only to specific groups.
  6. Click Save.

Using Canned Responses in a Conversation

In the messaging workspace, type / followed by the shortcode in the message input to trigger autocomplete. The matching responses appear in a dropdown — press Enter or click to insert.

You can also click the Canned Response icon in the toolbar and browse or search all available templates.

Variables in Canned Responses

VariableInserts
{{visitor.name}}Visitor's display name from pre-chat survey or CRM
{{agent.name}}Current agent's full name
{{agent.first_name}}Agent's first name only
{{conversation.id}}Unique conversation reference number
{{site.name}}Your account/site name

Organizing Canned Responses

Use consistent shortcode prefixes to group related responses. Common patterns:

  • greet- — opening greetings by channel (e.g., greet-sms, greet-web)
  • close- — closing messages
  • esc- — escalation and transfer messages
  • policy- — policy and legal language responses

Team-Scoped Responses

When a response is assigned to a specific team, only agents in that team see it in autocomplete. Use this to keep department-specific language (e.g., billing scripts, technical support templates) out of other teams' suggestions.

Importing and Exporting Canned Responses

Go to Settings → Canned Responses → Import/Export to download all responses as a CSV or upload a CSV in bulk. The import CSV requires two columns: shortcode and body. An optional third column team_id assigns responses to a team.

Tips

  • Keep shortcodes short and memorable — agents type under pressure.
  • Review canned responses quarterly. Outdated pricing or policy language causes customer confusion.
  • For bot responses, use Bot Communication Skills instead — canned responses are for human agents only.
  • Combine with Agent Assist to have AI suggest the right canned response automatically based on conversation context.

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