Free template library
Canned responses that do not sound canned
26 editable canned responses, organized by scenario. Refunds, order status, angry customers, outages, billing, account access. Copy one, replace the brackets, send. Plus the honest line where canned responses stop being the right tool at all.
Last updated 9 August 2026
Why most canned responses fail
Not because they are canned. Because most canned responses are written to protect the company instead of to answer the person. Thank you for reaching out. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Your satisfaction is our top priority. Nobody has ever said those sentences out loud to another human being, and customers read them as what they are: a form letter wearing a name tag.
Good canned responses do the opposite. They answer in the first four words, state the specific fact or decision, give one clear next step with a date on it, and leave room for the agent to add the one detail that proves a human read the message. Every template below follows that shape. Every one takes a position, including the uncomfortable ones where the answer is no.
Three editing rules before you copy anything. Replace every bracket, because a leaked [first name] does more damage than no template at all. Cut any sentence you would not say across a table. And read it once as the customer, in the mood they are in, before you send it.
Jump to a scenario
Order status and shipping
The one category where canned responses are the second-best tool. A template can only say what is true for everyone. If you can pull the customer's live order status instead, do that. These are for when you cannot.
Order status, tracking exists
The order shipped and there is a tracking link to give.
Hi [first name], Your order [order number] shipped on [date] with [carrier]. Track it here: [tracking link]. The current estimate is [delivery date]. If that date passes and nothing arrives, reply to this email and I will chase the carrier myself. [Your name]
Order delayed, tracking has gone quiet
The scan history stalled and the customer noticed before you did.
Hi [first name], You are right, your package has not scanned since [date]. That usually means it is moving between carrier hubs without being logged, not that it is lost. Here is what I have done: opened a trace with [carrier] and set a reminder to check it on [date]. If there is no movement by then, I will send a replacement or a refund, your choice. You will hear from me either way. [Your name]
Package marked delivered, customer has nothing
The scariest WISMO variant. Lead with belief, not with a checklist.
Hi [first name], I believe you, and I am sorry. A package marked delivered that is not there is maddening. Two quick checks while I open a claim with [carrier]: neighbors and any safe spot the driver uses, since drivers sometimes scan before the doorstep. If it has not turned up within [timeframe], I will ship a replacement at no cost. You do not need to fight the carrier. That is my job. [Your name]
Return instructions
A standard return request inside the return window.
Hi [first name], Done, your return is approved. Here is the whole process: 1. Print the prepaid label attached to this email. 2. Pack the item with its tags or accessories. 3. Drop it at any [carrier] location within [number] days. Your refund of [amount] goes back to your original payment method within [number] business days of the warehouse scan. I will email you when it lands. [Your name]
Exchange, requested item out of stock
You cannot give them what they asked for. Say so in the first sentence.
Hi [first name], Bad news first: the [item] in [size or color] is out of stock, so a direct exchange is not possible right now. Three options, pick whichever suits you: 1. A full refund of [amount], processed today. 2. Store credit of [amount plus bonus] as a thank you for the hassle. 3. I can email you the moment it restocks, expected [date]. Reply with 1, 2 or 3 and I will handle it same day. [Your name]
Refunds and billing
Money questions get read twice and forwarded to spouses. Every number in these canned responses needs to be exact before you hit send.
Refund approved
The request qualifies. Lead with the yes.
Hi [first name], Yes, refund approved. [Amount] is on its way back to your [payment method] and should appear within [number] business days. Banks add the delay, not us, so if day [number] passes without it, reply here and I will send you the transaction reference to give them. Sorry it did not work out this time. [Your name]
Refund declined, outside policy
You have to say no. Say it early, explain once, and offer what you can.
Hi [first name], I am sorry, I cannot refund this one. Your order was delivered on [date], and our return window is [number] days, which closed on [date]. I checked for wiggle room before writing this and there is not any I can offer. What I can do: [alternative, e.g. store credit, a discount on a replacement, troubleshooting help]. If the item is faulty rather than unwanted, tell me, because that is a different policy and a different answer. [Your name]
Refund in progress, customer chasing it
They were promised a refund and it has not landed yet.
Hi [first name], Your refund of [amount] was issued on [date], reference [transaction ID]. It is real and it is moving. Banks typically post it within [number] business days, which means [date] at the latest. If it is not there by then, send me a note and I will escalate with our payment provider the same day. [Your name]
Duplicate charge
The customer was billed twice. Fix first, explain second.
Hi [first name], You are right, you were charged twice on [date], and I have already refunded the duplicate [amount]. It will be back on your card within [number] business days. Why it happened: [one honest sentence, e.g. the payment retried after a timeout]. It will not recur, and I am sorry we made you do the accounting for us. [Your name]
Failed payment, account at risk
Dunning. Be a helpful human, not a warning label.
Hi [first name], Heads up: your payment of [amount] on [date] did not go through, usually an expired card or a bank decline. Nothing is broken and your account is untouched so far. Update your card here: [billing link]. If nothing changes by [date], your plan pauses, and everything comes back the moment a payment lands. If the charge failed for a reason we caused, reply and I will sort it. [Your name]
Cancellation, confirmed without a fight
They asked to cancel. Do it, then leave one door open.
Hi [first name], Done. Your subscription is cancelled and you will not be charged again. You keep access until [date], and your data stays exportable for [number] days after that. No survey, no retention offer. One question, only if you feel like answering: what was the moment you decided to leave? One sentence helps us more than any form. [Your name]
The angry customer
The template holds the structure so your head can stay calm. Acknowledge specifically, own it plainly, give a time-boxed next step. Never paste one of these unedited, because an angry customer can smell a macro through the screen.
First reply to an angry message
Heat in the inbox. Reply fast, even before you have the fix.
Hi [first name], You are right to be frustrated, and I am sorry. [Restate their specific problem in one sentence, in your words, so they know a human read it.] Here is what happens next: I am [specific action] right now and will have an answer for you by [specific time]. If I miss that time, you will still hear from me at that time with a status. [Your name]
Follow-up with the fix
You promised an answer by a set time. This is that message.
Hi [first name], As promised, here is where things stand. The problem was [plain-language cause]. I have [what you did], and on your side [what changes for them, or nothing needed]. To make up for the trouble: [gesture, sized to the harm]. And if any part of this is not actually fixed for you, reply directly to me, not to the queue. [Your name]
We were plainly in the wrong
No spin available. Take the hit in the first line.
Hi [first name], We got this wrong. Not a misunderstanding, not an edge case. [One sentence naming exactly what your company did.] Here is the repair: [refund, replacement, or fix], done today. Here is what changes so it does not happen to the next person: [one concrete change]. Thank you for telling us instead of quietly leaving. [Your name]
Outages and incidents
During an outage, speed beats polish and honesty beats both. These three canned responses are built to send fast: use the first one before you fully understand the problem, and say that you do not fully understand it yet.
First acknowledgment, cause unknown
Within minutes of confirmed impact. Do not wait for a diagnosis.
Hi [first name], You are not imagining it: [product or feature] is currently down, and it is affecting other customers too, not just you. We are on it now. I do not yet know the cause, so I will not guess. Live updates are at [status page link], and I will reply here the moment it is restored. You do not need to keep testing it. [Your name]
Mid-incident update
Every 30 to 60 minutes during a long outage, even with nothing new.
Hi [first name], Update on the [product] outage: we have identified [what is known] and a fix is in progress. Current estimate for restoration is [time], and I will correct that estimate if it moves. Your data is safe and nothing on your side needs to change. Next update by [time] regardless of progress. [Your name]
Resolved, with the plain-language postmortem
Service is restored and verified. Close the loop with everyone who wrote in.
Hi [first name], [Product] is back up as of [time], and we have verified your account specifically is working. What happened, without the jargon: [two sentences a non-engineer can follow]. What we changed so it does not repeat: [one concrete measure]. Total downtime was [duration], and if it caused you a real cost, reply and we will talk about making it right. [Your name]
Product questions and bugs
The two failure modes here are pretending a bug is user error and promising features that will never ship. These canned responses are built to make both lies harder to type.
Bug confirmed
You reproduced it. Tell them they were right.
Hi [first name], Confirmed: that is a bug on our side, not something you did. I reproduced it in [context] and it is now with our engineers as [ticket reference]. Workaround until the fix ships: [steps, or say honestly that there is not one]. I will email you on this thread when it is fixed, not just close the ticket. [Your name]
Feature request, honestly logged
A reasonable ask that is not on the roadmap. Do not say soon.
Hi [first name], Good idea, and I have logged it word for word for our product team. Honest expectations: I cannot promise it will be built or give a date, and I would rather tell you that than say soon and mean maybe. What might get you most of the way today: [existing workaround, if one exists]. If this becomes something we ship, you will hear it from me on this thread first. [Your name]
Feature request, declined
You know it will not be built. The kindest answer is a clear no.
Hi [first name], Straight answer: we are not going to build this. It pulls against [the product's core direction] and pretending it is under consideration would just waste your patience. If it is essential to how you work, [alternative tool or approach] handles it well, and I would rather point you somewhere useful than string you along. For what you are trying to do inside our product, [closest existing path] gets you part of the way. [Your name]
How-to question with a doc that answers it
The answer exists in your documentation. Answer first, link second.
Hi [first name], Quick answer: [the actual answer in one or two sentences, right here in the email]. The full walkthrough with screenshots is here: [doc link]. And if the doc did not surface when you searched, tell me what you typed, because that means our docs failed you before I could. [Your name]
Account and access
High urgency, low complexity. Speed is the whole game, which is exactly what canned responses are for.
Password reset
A locked-out customer. Every extra sentence delays them.
Hi [first name], Reset link: [link]. It works for [number] hours. If it does not arrive or does not work, reply here and I will reset it manually from our side. If you did not request this, ignore the link and tell me, because someone else may have tried. [Your name]
Account deletion and data request
A departure with legal weight. Confirm scope and dates precisely.
Hi [first name], Confirming your request: your account and its data will be permanently deleted on [date], which gives you [number] days to change your mind or export anything you need. Export link: [link]. After [date] the deletion is not reversible by you or by us. If you want it done sooner, reply confirm now and I will run it today. [Your name]
Suspicious activity notice
You spotted something on their account before they did.
Hi [first name], We noticed a sign-in to your account from [location or device] on [date] that did not match your usual pattern, so we have [action taken, e.g. required a re-verification]. If this was you, sorry for the speed bump, and you are already done. If it was not you, reset your password now at [link] and reply here so a human reviews the account with you. [Your name]
Queue management and closing
The unglamorous canned responses that keep an inbox honest. Most teams improvise these fresh every time, which is how sat here for three days with no reply happens.
Need more information
You cannot act on what they sent. Ask for everything at once.
Hi [first name], I want to fix this on the next message, so I need three things in one reply: 1. [Specific detail] 2. [Specific detail] 3. A screenshot of [specific screen], if you can. The moment those arrive, this goes to the front of my queue. Asking for everything at once beats four rounds of one question each. [Your name]
Backlog acknowledgment, replies running slow
Peak season or an incident aftermath. Buy time by being honest about it.
Hi [first name], Your message is in our queue and a real person will answer it. Honest timing: we are running about [number] hours behind right now because of [plain reason], and you can expect a reply by [date]. If your question is about [top current issue], the answer is probably here: [link]. If it is urgent in the meaning of money or access, reply with URGENT and it will be pulled forward. [Your name]
Closing a resolved conversation
The problem is fixed and confirmed. Close it warmly and stop.
Hi [first name], Glad that is sorted. I am closing this conversation now, and replying to this email reopens it instantly with the whole history intact, so you never have to explain from scratch. Thanks for your patience while we worked through it. [Your name]
Follow-up after silence
You answered, they went quiet, and the ticket is aging.
Hi [first name], Checking in once: did my last message fix things, or did it miss? If I do not hear back by [date], I will close the conversation so it does not nag you, and any reply after that reopens it automatically. Silence will be taken as good news, but only this once. [Your name]
Replying to a public negative review
Public, permanent, and read mostly by future customers, not the reviewer.
Hi [name], You are right about [the specific failure], and I am sorry. That was our mistake, not a misunderstanding. I have sent you a direct message to make it right, and here is what we changed because of your review: [one concrete change]. Anyone reading this later: this is what our worst day looks like, and this is how we respond to it. [Your name], [role]
When a canned response should be an AI answer instead
There is a clean line through every scenario above, and it is worth knowing even if you never automate anything. Canned responses work when the correct answer is the same for everyone: your refund policy, your return steps, what happens during an outage. They break when the correct answer depends on that customer's own data. Look at the order status templates again. The honest ones hedge, because the template cannot know where the package actually is. The customer does not want your shipping policy. They want the fact.
Questions on the data side of the line, like order status, account state, plan limits and billing history, are where AI agents connected to live systems earn their keep, because they can look up the specific answer and reply in seconds at any hour. That is what we build at Outlearn, and this library stays free and useful whether or not you ever try it. Plenty of teams run happily on templates alone. The point is to stop asking templates to do a lookup's job, and to stop paying a person to do a template's.
A practical split for a team of any size: templates for policy and emotion, automation for facts and lookups, humans for judgment. The angry customer templates above should never be fully automated. The password reset should never touch a human.
Questions people ask about canned responses
What are canned responses?
Canned responses are pre-written reply templates for the questions a support team answers repeatedly: refunds, order status, password resets, outage notices. Most helpdesks call them saved replies, macros or snippets. The good ones hold the structure and the facts while the agent edits in the specifics before sending.
Do customers know when they get a canned response?
Yes, when it is a bad one. The tells are answers that do not address the specific question, greetings that skip the name, and phrases nobody says out loud. A well-edited template is invisible because it reads like a person who has answered this before, which is exactly what it is.
How many canned responses does a support team actually need?
Fewer than you think. Pull your last 200 tickets, sort by topic, and write canned responses for the top 15 to 25 scenarios. That usually covers 60 to 80% of volume. A library of 200 canned responses fails because nobody can find the right one faster than typing.
When is a canned response the wrong tool?
When the correct answer depends on the customer's own data. Order status, account state, plan limits, billing history. A template can only say what is true for everyone, so for those questions it degrades into check your email or let me look into that. That is the boundary where AI answers connected to live systems take over.
Should I let AI write my canned responses?
Draft, yes. Send, no, at least not unedited. Have it draft canned responses against real past tickets, then cut every sentence you would not say across a table. The templates on this page are free to copy and edit, and they will beat a generic generated draft because each one takes a position.
The other half of the split
Templates handle the policy questions. See what happens when the fact questions answer themselves.
Outlearn reads your docs and your live systems and answers customers directly, with a human handoff for everything that needs one. Free tier, no card.