Home Canned responses for Zendesk
how to create canned responses in zendesk

Zendesk + Typedesk
canned responses your whole team can reuse everywhere

Support agents in Zendesk answer the same questions hundreds of times a week. Typedesk lets you save each answer once and drop it into a ticket by typing a short shortcut like /refund or /shipping, so you reply in seconds instead of rewriting from memory. This page shows how the Typedesk integration works in Zendesk and how it goes beyond native macros.

Available on Mac, Windows and in your browser

300+ reviews

How to create canned responses in Zendesk

Zendesk has native macros, but they live only inside Zendesk and take clicks to find in a long list. Here is the native method, and the faster way with Typedesk.

Without Typedesk

For reference, here is the native macro method. Macros live only inside Zendesk and must be picked from a list.

With Typedesk

Typedesk runs through the browser extension, so it works directly inside the Zendesk Agent Workspace.

1

In Admin Center, open 'Workspaces', then 'Agent tools' > 'Macros'.

2

Click 'Create macro' and give it a name.

3

Click 'Add action', choose the comment/reply action, and write your response.

4

Click 'Create' to save the macro.

5

In a ticket, use the 'Apply macro' button below the reply box to insert it. Agents can also create personal macros from a ticket.

1

Save your standard answers in Typedesk, each with a short shortcut like /refund.

2

Open a ticket and start typing the shortcut in the reply box.

3

The full response expands instantly, ready to send or edit.

typedesk + Zendesk

Why Zendesk agents rely on canned responses

Reply speed and consistency are the whole job. Customers want a fast, correct, on-brand answer, and agents want to stop typing the same refund policy for the hundredth time. Zendesk has native macros, but they live only in Zendesk; they take clicks to find in a long list, and they cannot follow an agent into Gmail, a chat tool, or any other app they also work in.
Template ideas for Zendesk support:
  • Refund, return, and cancellation policies.
  • Shipping and delivery status replies.
  • Troubleshooting steps for your top recurring issues.
  • Escalation and hand-off messages.
  • Friendly openers and closers that keep tone consistent.

How it works

Set up Typedesk once and reuse your Zendesk replies everywhere you work.

how to create canned responses in zendesk
1

Install the Typedesk browser extension, plus the desktop app for Windows or Mac.

2

Save your most-used Zendesk answers as templates, each with a short shortcut like /refund or /shipping.

3

In a Zendesk ticket, type the shortcut in the reply box and the full response expands instantly.

how to create canned responses in zendesk

One library for the whole support team

Native Zendesk macros stop at Zendesk. Typedesk uses a single shared library, so the same approved answers work in Zendesk, email, live chat, and anywhere else your team replies. A team lead updates the wording once, and every agent gets it immediately, which keeps quality consistent as the team grows.

Your Zendesk canned responses, with superpowers!

Typedesk text expander boosts your Zendesk replies, offering smart placeholders and easy sharing options.

Customize every reply with variables

Typedesk drops the customer name, order number, or ticket ID into your reply as it expands, so a canned answer still reads like a real one, with no manual editing.

Works beyond Zendesk, in every app

Typedesk replies work in the Zendesk Agent Workspace and in email, live chat, and any other app your team uses, all from one library.

Share one library with your whole team

Keep every approved answer in a single shared library. A team lead updates the wording once and every agent gets it immediately.

Insert any reply with a shortcut

Type a short shortcut like /refund and the full response expands in the ticket reply box, with no scrolling through a macro list.

Take Zendesk canned responses to a new level

The most versatile way to create and manage Zendesk canned responses

Features

typedesk how to create canned responses in zendesk
how to create canned responses in zendesk

Create templates with custom fill-in fields

how to create canned responses in zendesk
how to create canned responses in zendesk

Share templates with teammates

how to create canned responses in zendesk
how to create canned responses in zendesk

Insert templates with a text shortcut

how to create canned responses in zendesk
how to create canned responses in zendesk

Search templates by keyword

how to create canned responses in zendesk
how to create canned responses in zendesk

Organize templates into folders

how to create canned responses in zendesk
how to create canned responses in zendesk

Reuse the same templates across apps

how to create canned responses in zendesk
how to create canned responses in zendesk

Comparison covers the built-in reusable-message features available in each product's standard interface. Optional add-ins, mobile keyboards, developer APIs, and third-party tools are excluded.

Reply faster in Zendesk

Load your most-used answers into Typedesk, assign a shortcut to each, and let your agents reply in seconds while staying on-brand.

I love typedesk! It is by far one of my favourite tools to have in our tech stack.

Customer review

Pip Meecham

Tech Advisor & ClickUp Channel Partner

We use typedesk to ensure that communications remain aligned and uniform across all our channels as our company scales up.

Customer review

Michael Johnson

Senior Certification Specialist, HighLevel

This software is unreal. It's like having a ChatGPT writing assistant on every single app I use and having all the prompts I can create at my fingertips.

Customer review

Michael Montefusco

Founder, Fitness Marketing Machine

This app is a phenomenal tool.

Customer review

David Shutler

Senior Recruitment Consultant

While our help desk does provide saved answers, I use typedesk to maintain a personal voice in my canned responses quickly and efficiently.

Melanie Shears

Finance & People Operations, Customer Billing Specialist, Helpscout

Love it!! I would love to see more case uses for ChatGPT integration. I saw just the video from the blog. Love the tool and have been using it for a while.

Customer review

Zee Ali

Founder of ZSwag.com and Wealth Armor

Best​ app purchase of all time! Great time saver, fantastic customer service and support and the product keeps improving

Customer review

Elite Performance Academy

I run a football academy in Bangkok

Typedesk is an innovative TextExpander alternative that I use daily. Can’t recommend it enough. Can’t wait until it’s available on iOS! Highly recommend.

Customer review

Steven 👾

Helping people work smarter, not harder.

Amazing time saver! Things that used to take several minutes now take several seconds. It reduces time, fatigue, and prevents errors. Michel is awesome at updating and maintaining the program. Highly recommended!

Customer review

Ben Delville

Work in IT, prefer outdoors.

Perfect, it work like vscode suggest for non-coder

Customer review

Nam Khanh Nguyen

Just want to explore the world

This app is a totally time-saver. So amazing when it comes to typing reports and email messages when I want to save time.

Customer review

Dr. Gwen Smith

Energy healing life coach

Typedesk has helped and my company be productive everywhere, where we need to reuse text. Even when programming it's very helpful. It can act as a codesnippet database. For marketing, we have saved our brand color codes easiliy accessible by just typing :color and then selecting the color we want. The code is then automatically added to any text field. Super useful!

Customer review

Tobias Geisler

Coach & CEO

I had a couple of other tools that provided some similar functions to typedesk, but once I started to learn the additional capabilities, I dumped the others and settle on typedesk. I’ve still far from master everything that could be possible, simply down to the availability of my time, but I use it daily, I’ve been able to separate home and business uses into a clearly define set, and can call them from a single interface. Being able to return different data, in multiple ways depending on circumstance is brilliant, it simply prompts me to give it the right scenario, and it reformats to suit. I had a small issue with the Mac version on initial install, but support were responsive, helpful and resolve the issue in the next release, and gave me a temporary work around. Bugs are fine if support is there, so that was a positive experience too. I’m very happy with typedesk and look forward to expanding my use of it, and continue to share knowledge about it with friends and colleagues so they benefit too.

Customer review

Mike Foston

Hi

I can't live without typedesk. Every time I find myself typing something I've typed before, I add it to typedesk so I never have to manually type it again. The program is consistently maintained and faster than ever with the latest update. Will be a tool I use forever. I used to insert "Quick Parts" in my email, which is Outlook's version of canned text answers. It doesn't hold a candle to typedesk since I can use typedesk anywhere on my computer, not just email. It rocks.

Customer review

Paul Colaianni

absolutely love TypeDesk for what it offers, and not only the product, but the customer service.

Customer review

Paul Burns

Bookkeeper

Congrats @michel_vermeulen1 on the new launch. Typedesk has hit the floor running, adding great value and features from the start. It has come a long way with each new update. Michel has always provided great support and eager to build on client suggestions. The UI/UX has improved so much and the canned responses are now super fast. With adding things like ChatGPT, we look forward to future development. Last year I wanted to use typedesk to fill out repetitive online forms and he said that it is not possible at the moment but finished the email with "But, never say never". Well, we are now in neverland.

Customer review

Hak

@hak_jenkins

I love automation, saving time and keystrokes, and minimizing typos - so I already had text expansion set up on my computer, but it didn't work in every app.

JimHohl

It is very easy to use. Simplicity is key which is perfect, because you don't want to be bogged down and distracted when a fast response is required. Glad i purchased, will definately get my ROI with time saved

James_Riddles

I wasn't exactly sure what it does or how it might help me. But the basic concept sounded like something that might come in handy for someone like me who is launching his own membership platform where I'll be engaging customers through a support desk, creating tutorials and running a membership site.

ricklewis

This is the kind of tool that is a bit underrated, it deserves even more love. I am sucker for time savings and improving my effiency and this tool does deliver. Love the ease of use and the way it makes me more productive even minutes after I started to use this. The only thing I need to do is to think when I type in something I reuse a lot, to make a canned response of it! Well deserved 5 taco's!

BossOfTime

Typedesk is a great way to automate your email responses.

janawilliams

Overall, good tool that does what it says. Useful if you have a lot of texts that you often reuse. Not just for emails but actually for any text or words, or emojis. Tool is simple but functional, you can group your texts into folders etc. It is rather intuitive and works well.

atis

I love that you are available on both Chrome and Desktop. I can't wait for the Safari extension and the mobile app, then you're complete.

PhillipStemann

Great tool, thank you - love the structure, grouping of type of responses, easy to create ones.

ateleguz

I use TypeDesk every day and it saves me the time and annoyance of typing repetitive text. It's seems like a small thing, saving a few seconds here, a few there, but they really do add up.

lionstail

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Zendesk canned responses and macros.

Visit learning center

How is this different from Zendesk macros?

Zendesk macros only work within Zendesk and must be selected from a list. Typedesk expands a reply the instant you type its shortcut and uses the same library across every app, not just Zendesk.

Does Typedesk work in the Zendesk Agent Workspace?

Yes. The Typedesk browser extension works in the Zendesk web workspace, where agents handle tickets.

Can the whole support team share the same responses?

Yes. Shared libraries let every agent use the same approved answers, with central updates pushed to all of them.

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