Home Canned responses for Intercom

how to create canned responses and macros in intercom

Intercom + Typedesk
canned responses you can reuse everywhere

Support agents in Intercom answer the same questions hundreds of times a week. Intercom has native macros (formerly saved replies), but they only work inside Intercom. Typedesk lets you save each answer once and drop it into a conversation by typing a short shortcut like /refund or /shipping, and it works in Intercom and every other app your team uses. This page shows how the Typedesk integration works with Intercom and where it goes beyond native macros.

Available on Mac, Windows and in your browser

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How to create canned responses in Intercom

Intercom has native macros with a keyboard shortcut, sharing, and search, but they stay inside Intercom. Here is the native method, and the faster, more flexible way with Typedesk.

Without Typedesk

For reference, here is the native method. Intercom macros support a \ or # shortcut, workspace and team sharing, and search, but they stay inside Intercom.

With Typedesk

Typedesk runs through the browser extension, so it works directly inside the Intercom inbox and everywhere else you type.

In Settings, open Macros and create a new macro with a title and message.

Scope it to the whole workspace, a team, or just yourself.

In the Inbox, type \ or # and part of the macro name to insert it.

Because macros remain tied to the Intercom Inbox, you cannot use them as a general template library across unrelated apps.

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

Open an Intercom conversation and type the shortcut in the composer.

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

typedesk + Intercom

Why Intercom agents rely on canned responses

Reply speed and a consistent voice are the whole job in support. Customers want a fast, correct answer, and agents want to stop retyping the same reply. Intercom has native macros with a \ or # shortcut, workspace and team sharing, and search, but Intercom macros work across conversations handled inside Intercom, including email, and do not follow an agent into unrelated apps.

Template ideas for Intercom support:

Refund, billing, and cancellation answers.
Troubleshooting steps for your top recurring issues.
Onboarding and how-to replies.
Friendly openers and closers that keep tone consistent.

How it works

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

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

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

In an Intercom conversation, type the shortcut in the composer and the full response expands instantly.

One library beyond Intercom

Native macros stop at Intercom. Typedesk keeps a single library, so the same replies work in Intercom, email, Slack, and any web form. Update the wording once, and it updates everywhere, and teams can share one approved library so everyone stays on-brand.

Your Intercom replies, with superpowers!

Typedesk text expander takes Intercom macros further, with fill-in fields and use beyond Intercom.

Fill in details as you type

Intercom macros auto-populate saved attributes. Typedesk adds fields you complete as the template expands, for order numbers, dates, or anything not stored in Intercom.

Works beyond Intercom, in every app

Typedesk replies work in the Intercom inbox and in email, Slack, and every other app your team uses, all from one library.

Share one reply library with your team

Keep every approved answer in a single shared library so your whole team replies consistently, with central updates pushed to everyone.

Insert any reply with a shortcut

Type a short shortcut like /refund and the full response expands right in the Intercom composer, and the same shortcut works everywhere else too.

Take Intercom macros to a new level

The most versatile way to create and reuse replies in Intercom

Features

Create templates with custom fill-in fields

Share templates with teammates

Insert templates with a text shortcut

Search templates by keyword

Organize templates into folders

Reuse the same templates across apps

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.

Intercom macros populate saved user and company attributes automatically; Typedesk adds fields you fill in as you type and lets you reuse the same replies across every app, not just Intercom.

Reply faster in Intercom

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.

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.

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.

Michael Montefusco

Founder, Fitness Marketing Machine

This app is a phenomenal tool.

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

Simple app that saves an abundance of time in canned responses across browser and Mac desktop.

Long Nguyen

Multimedia Designer and Zenfluencer.

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

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.

Steven 👾

Helping people work smarter, not harder.

Hi all. This product is well developed, easy to use and fast. I use Typedesk for months now. Every day it helps me to accelerate my work. I can use canned response everywhere, shortcuts for common texts and organize them by theme. You can elaborate longer text models with variables. With ChatGPT integrated, it will become faster than ever. A must have tool. Bravo et mille fois merci !! @michel_vermeulen1

Philippe Ruaudel

A French SciFi writer A DBA Oracle

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!

Ben Delville

Work in IT, prefer outdoors.

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

Dr. Gwen Smith

Energy healing life coach

Exceptional piece of software. I need to write a ton of E-Mails and created some templates for myself, which I just copied. The Problem was that I needed to manually change some elements like names and other information unique to every single mail. Every so often, it's easy to forget to fill out one of the blank spaces within my text template after copying, which is frustrating when you have sent an e-mail with "Hello _____". There may be some more or less complicated workarounds within some writing & Mail Software I use, but nothing has been as easy to use as typedesk. You can paste your precomposed text in typedesk as a new "canned response", replace your "_____ blank_____" with a variable, individualize how you want to be prompted when it's time to fill in the information in the blank fields. From now on, you just type "/" + "your pre-defined shortcut" and there you go. My personal Killerfeature: It lives outside your applications, so it can be used with every single piece of software where you need to enter text. Regardless if it's within a browser, Mail application, Word, Excel etc.

Marifl

@marcus_ifland

Have been using typedesk for a year, it saves so much time to not write the same again and again (names, emails, greeting formulas). And I have been beta testing the ChatGPT integration,it works as promised. Apart from not having to use the openai interface, I just change the keyword and don't have to retype or copy paste the basic prompt. And Michel always responsive.

Torsten P.

CEO automation.re - find embedded iPaaS

My entire team uses Typedesk from sales to legal to project management. It's incredibly easy to use and saves us so much time. I've actually started saving ChatGPT prompts that I like for quick access using Typedesk as well 🙌🏼

Ronnie Sharpe

@ronnie_sharpe1

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.

Paul Colaianni

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Typedesk allready was really usefull as my textexpander. But when I started using ChatGPT and other AI tools I quickly starting using Typedesk as my prompt repository too. If you are into prompting you'll notice that there is a lot of reoccuring phrases. Like "Imagine you are a SEO specialist" and "Write using Hemmingway rules". Exactly those elements you can store in Typedesk and use easily to construct your 'perfect' prompt. And you can use it in ChatGPT but also in all other AI tools. For me Typedesk is the 'perfect' prompt repository.

Asing Ku

@asing_ku

Typedesk is a great tool, if you feel you type something more than twice a day you can automate this text easily. Also it is able to create dinamic canned responses so you can customize the text with a few clicks. It's a must have in your productivity arsenal.

Juan Durán

@juan_duran

I liked the ability of standardizing, templating routine and every important interactions. IT saves time and lesser the mistakes the more productivy. Keep up!

Divyesh Vasani

podcaster about founder stories

I have been using Typedesk for a few months, and it has saved me so much time and allowed me to send out constant messages effortlessly!

Tor Jones

Backpack is filled with colored pencils.

Cyndi Dermody

@cyndi_dermody

Teddy Mazereeuw

@teddy_mazereeuw

Great product and even better support! Shout out to Michel for his help!

Mr.Johnson

One of the best purchases on Appsumo!

iamsam

Hi, I was really happy with the use of another Text expander tool (FastKeys) so I was skipping this, but luckily I checked it out. Hey, what the heck.

EZnl

this is a must-have tool for all company owners! huge time saver

masuk_sarker

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Intercom canned responses and macros.

Visit learning center

Does Intercom have canned responses?

Yes. Intercom has native macros (formerly saved replies) with a \ or # shortcut, sharing, and search, but they only work inside Intercom. Typedesk adds fill-in fields and use across every app.

How is Typedesk different from Intercom macros?

Intercom macros live inside Intercom and auto-populate saved attributes. Typedesk uses one library that works in Intercom and every other app, and adds fields you fill in as you type.