Reply Templates

Reply templates are reusable, canned responses for the replies your team sends over and over — refund confirmations, password-reset steps, "we're looking into it" holding replies. Each template has a name, an optional category, an optional subject line, and a body. Templates can contain {{variable}} placeholders that are filled in with the ticket's details the moment you insert one, so a single "Refund processed" template greets every customer by name without any manual editing.

Creating a template

1. Go to Templates in the sidebar.
2. Click New template.
3. Fill in the fields:
   • Name — how the template appears in the list and in the composer's Templates menu (e.g. Password reset instructions). Required.
   • Category — optional. One of Billing, Technical, Account, or General, or leave it as No category. Categories help the AI suggest the right template for a ticket — see Categories and AI suggestions.
   • Subject — optional. Sets the reply's subject line when the template is applied. Leave it blank to keep the default Re: <ticket subject>. Supports {{variable}} placeholders. See Subject lines.
   • Audience tags — optional. Scopes which tickets see this template in AI suggestions; empty means it's in the shared pool, eligible for every ticket. See Tag-Scoped Knowledge.
   • Content — the body of the reply. Required. Supports {{variable}} placeholders.
4. As you type, a Variables row appears under the body listing every placeholder detected across the subject and content — a quick way to confirm you spelled them correctly.
5. Click Save template.

Both Name and Content are required; Save template stays disabled until both are filled.

Template variables

Placeholders use double curly braces — {{variable_name}} — and are replaced with the ticket's live values the moment you insert the template. Six variables are supported:

Any token that isn't one of these six is left untouched: {{order_number}} is sent to the customer as the literal text {{order_number}}. The same happens with a misspelled name — see Common pitfalls.

Subject lines

The subject field controls the reply's subject line when you insert the template:

• Set a subject → inserting the template overwrites the composer's current subject with it (variables substituted). Use this when a fresh subject reads better than Re: ….
• Leave it blank → the composer's subject is left exactly as it was, normally Re: <ticket subject>.

A subject can use the same {{variable}} placeholders as the body, so Re: {{ticket_subject}} — resolved works.

Inserting a template in the composer

When you're replying to a ticket (the Templates picker isn't shown on internal notes):

1. Click Templates in the composer toolbar.
2. Optionally type in the search box to filter by name or category.
3. Click a template to open a preview. The preview shows the subject and body with variables already filled in for this ticket. Each placeholder is shown as a chip — green if it will resolve, amber if it isn't recognized (a useful last check before sending).
4. Click Insert.

Inserting a template replaces the entire reply body with the template's content — it does not append at your cursor. If the template has a subject, it also overwrites the subject. Anything you'd already typed in the reply is discarded, so insert the template first and then edit.

A worked example: refund follow-up

A "Refund processed" template for billing replies:

• Name: Refund processed
• Category: Billing
• Subject: Your refund for {{ticket_subject}} is on its way
• Content:

Hi {{customer_name}},

Good news — I've processed your refund in full. You'll see it back on your
original payment method within 5–10 business days.

If there's anything else I can help with, just reply to this email.

Best,
{{agent_name}}
{{workspace_name}} Support

Inserting this on a ticket from ada@example.com with subject "Order #4471 — wrong size" produces the subject Your refund for Order #4471 — wrong size is on its way and a body that greets Ada by name and is signed by you and your workspace.

Categories and AI suggestions

A template's category — Billing, Technical, Account, or General — is one signal the AI uses to decide which template to suggest for a ticket: it matches a template's category against the ticket's classified category. Leaving a template uncategorized means it isn't tied to any one ticket type. For how the AI uses your templates and knowledge to draft replies, see the AI Agent overview; to scope a template to a specific audience, see Tag-Scoped Knowledge.

Common pitfalls

• Misspelled or unknown variables are sent literally. {{custmer_name}} and {{order_number}} aren't recognized, so the raw {{…}} text goes to the customer. Use the preview's amber chips and the editor's Variables row to catch these before sending.
• No spaces or quotes inside the braces. Only {{customer_name}} works — {{ customer_name }} (spaces) and {{"customer_name"}} (quotes) are not recognized and are sent as-is.
• Variable names are case-sensitive. Use lowercase exactly as listed; {{Customer_Name}} won't resolve.
• Inserting overwrites your draft. Insert the template before composing, not after — it replaces the whole body, and the subject too if the template sets one.
• Empty signature variables. {{agent_name}} and {{workspace_name}} resolve to nothing when those values aren't set, which can leave a dangling "Best," with no name. Confirm they're populated, or avoid them where a blank would read badly.