Canned Response

Gladly Team

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5 minute read

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Canned Responses

It’s customer service in a tin!

And like most pre-packaged things, “canned” customer service responses are often seen as less personal, nutritious, or sincere as their fresh counterparts. The layperson’s connotation of a canned response is usually negative, often perceived as robotic.

Now, when we talk about canned responses, we don’t mean auto-generated responses. These are confirmation messages you might receive after setting up an account, making a purchase, etc. They will include a brief message, probably an order number, and a generic “thank you.” They are bland and totally universal. And a case of mistaken identity between these two types of communication means that canned responses often get a bad rap.

But canned responses are an incredibly useful tool in the world of customer service. Representatives deal with sometimes thousands of inquiries in a day, many of which might relate to the same topic. As you can imagine, it saves a lot of time and energy to have a quick cut-and-paste response nearby.

While pre written answers can help a work day flow, efficiency shouldn’t come at the cost of personalization. Canned response best practices mean utilizing your repertoire of copy/paste text, but modifying the note before you click “send” in order to cater to the individual needs of your customer.

Gladly believes in

  • Efficiency – your reps should be able to work quickly, and your customers should receive resolutions promptly.
  • Responsiveness – customers should feel confident that their inquiries will be addressed quickly, with updates and wait times announced in real time.
  • Radical personalization – your business should see the whole customer, and not just another ticket. Canned responses should be designed to help your callers feel seen, heard, and respected.

Getting your canned responses right can be tricky. And if you’re not careful your audience may believe you’ve traded your customer service reps for cold, unfeeling machines. To help you get it right, we’ve drawn up a list of some of our favorite — and least favorite — canned responses we could find.

Best Canned Responses

Hey there! My name is Barb. What can I help you with today?

Customer service greetings have to strike a balance of professional yet conversational. This example is simple and friendly, without feeling formal or fabricated. Including a casual “hello” with a first-name introduction also helps assure the customer that they’re speaking with a real person. You should additionally have greetings for all different kinds of customers in your back pocket. Try saying “Welcome!” to brand new visitors, or address long-time shoppers by their name.

Great question! I personally don’t have the answer, but may I transfer you to an agent who does?

Always a good response to have in your toolkit. Canned or not, the ability to admit when you don’t know something can help keep your customer conversations efficient and effective. Remember to always match your word choices to the mood of the customer, and remain empathetic if they express frustration with this response.

So glad I could help you today! Before you go, would you please fill out a brief customer satisfaction survey?

Sometimes, even if we’ve done a good job, it can feel awkward to ask for praise from a customer. But this canned response works great. Starting off with a sincere statement of your happiness at the resolution of your customer’s issue helps to end the conversation on a high note. And the request for a review is neither too demanding, nor too imploring. It’s just right. Reps deserve to be thanked for their good work.

Worst Canned Responses

We’re working on the issue.

Not helpful. Incredibly generic and oh-so bland, no customer wants to see or hear this response. One, it contains no pertinent information that might put the customer’s mind at ease. Which issue? Is it my issue? Two, there aren’t any specifics, either relating to the customer themself or the problem – no details, no timeline, no personalization. A better example of this response might be: Hi Donna! Thanks for checking in. We’re sorry to hear that your package hasn’t arrived. We’re currently combing through our shipping records to see if we can locate it. We hope to have this issue solved by tomorrow morning.

Thanks for your feedback. We will try to do better in the future.

If you’re dealing with an upset customer, it’s important that you match their tone. We don’t mean get mad, yell back, or hang up. But you shouldn’t respond to an angry or frustrated customer with a response that’s too sunshiny, or too monotone. Remember to apologize, remain empathetic, and convey sincere regret at their dissatisfaction. This will help your customer to trust that you have their best interests at heart.

Final Thoughts: Gladly’s Take on Canned Responses

The canned responses included in this list are simple, and meant to give customer service representatives a jumpstart into creating a totally personal message for their visitors.

Ideally, we would never use canned responses when dealing with customers. A perfectly curated response to each question is the best. But with Gladly, you will get intelligent responses in a timely manner, expertly crafted to suit the needs and mood of your customer.

Gladly is a radically personal customer service solution that assigns each service inquiry to a customer profile, and not just a ticket. Our platform lets you get to know your customers like the back of your hand, meaning you can deliver service that feels like it was made just for them. To see how Gladly can work for you, schedule a demo here.

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