> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documents.xobito.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Canned Replies

> Save and insert short, pre-written text snippets your agents send every day.

A **Canned Reply** is a saved piece of text your agents can drop into a conversation with one click. No AI is involved — the text is stored as-is and inserted as-is.

Use canned replies when:

* The same answer appears in dozens of conversations ("Our hours are…", "Here's our pricing PDF…").
* You want consistent wording across agents.
* You need a fast way to handle high-volume questions.

<Note>
  Canned replies are static. If the answer needs to adapt to the customer's specific question, use an [AI Prompt](/ai-features/ai-prompts) instead.
</Note>

## Where canned replies live

Canned replies are managed inside **Chat**. Open the Live Inbox, then open the secondary panel and choose **Canned Replies** to see the full library.

## Create a canned reply

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the canned reply library">
    Go to **Chat → Canned Replies** in the secondary panel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click 'Create Canned Reply'">
    A small form opens with two fields.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter a title">
    A short, recognisable name — for example "Business hours", "Pricing PDF", "Refund policy". The title is what agents search by in the picker.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the description (the reply text)">
    Type the full message body that should be inserted into the composer. Plain text. You may use WhatsApp formatting (`*bold*`, `_italic_`) if you want.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Immediately available to every agent — no reload needed.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Canned replies in Xobito have exactly two fields: **title** and **description**. There are no shortcut aliases, categories, or variables — what you write in the description is exactly what gets inserted.
</Note>

## Using a canned reply

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open any conversation">
    Go to **Chat** and pick a conversation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click the canned-reply icon">
    In the chat composer, next to the paperclip attachment button, click the canned-reply icon (chat-bubble icon). A picker opens listing every saved reply.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Search by title">
    Start typing to filter — the list narrows as you type against the reply titles.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click a reply to insert">
    The description text drops into the composer exactly as written.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Edit if needed, then send">
    Canned replies are a starting point — edit freely before pressing send.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Pick short, distinctive titles. "Hours" is easier to search than "Standard business opening hours statement". Agents will skim and click.
</Tip>

## Editing and deleting

* **Edit** — open the reply from the library and change the title or description. Changes apply instantly. Conversations that already used an older copy keep their pasted text.
* **Delete** — removes the reply from every agent's picker. Past usage in conversations stays as regular sent text.

## Permissions

Access is controlled by these permissions, granted per role in [Roles & Permissions](/team/roles-permissions):

| Permission                   | What it unlocks                                        |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| `tenant.canned_reply.view`   | See and insert canned replies from the composer picker |
| `tenant.canned_reply.create` | Add new canned replies to the library                  |
| `tenant.canned_reply.edit`   | Edit existing canned replies                           |
| `tenant.canned_reply.delete` | Remove canned replies from the library                 |

Typical setup: agents get `view`; managers and admins get all four.

## Best practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Keep replies short">
    WhatsApp users skim. A canned reply that's 300 words will feel like a wall of text. Aim for 2–4 short sentences per reply.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use clear, distinct titles">
    Since the picker searches on titles only, make each title easy to find. "Refund policy", "Shipping ETA", "Office hours" — not "Reply 1", "Reply 2".
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Review quarterly">
    Canned replies drift out of date — prices change, hours move, the returns policy gets updated. Put a quarterly calendar reminder to review the library.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Avoid over-specifics">
    `"We'll get back to you in 2 hours"` becomes a lie the first time your team is swamped. `"We'll get back to you shortly"` is safer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="One reply per language">
    Xobito doesn't group replies by language. If you support multiple languages, create one reply per language and include the language in the title, e.g. "Hours (EN)", "Hours (ES)".
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="I don't see the canned-reply icon in the composer">
    The icon appears next to the attachment paperclip in the chat composer. If it's missing, check that your role has the `tenant.canned_reply.view` permission.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My reply isn't appearing in the picker">
    Confirm the reply is saved (not still open in the editor). Reopen the picker — the list refreshes each time it opens.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Formatting looks broken in WhatsApp">
    WhatsApp formatting needs clean asterisks and underscores: `*bold*` with spaces around. `*bold text*` works, `* bold text *` and `text*bold*text` often don't.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## What to read next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="AI Prompts" icon="sparkles" href="/ai-features/ai-prompts">
    For replies that need to respond to the actual customer question.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Live Inbox" icon="comments" href="/chat/overview">
    Where your canned replies get used.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>