Below are 40 live chat replies grouped by the stage of a conversation, from the first hello to closing an idle chat. Each one is short enough to read in a chat window and leaves a bracket where the agent has to check or decide something. Copy the ones you need, or download all 40 as a CSV for Text Replacements.
Download the 40 live chat replies (CSV). Every row imports disabled, so nothing expands until you have edited an entry and turned it on.
How to write good support snippets is covered in customer support text expander snippets. This page is the library.
How these replies are written
A chat window shows a few lines at a time, so each reply asks one question or gives one update. Brackets such as [time] or [policy summary] are literal text and stay in the message until you replace them, so read every reply before you send it. Refund times, delivery dates and fix dates come from your policy or your tools, never from the template.
All shortcuts start with ;lc-, so they sort together and don’t fire inside ordinary words.
Opening the chat (5)
| # | Shortcut | Reply |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ;lc-hi | Hi [name], thanks for getting in touch. I'm [agent name]. How can I help today? |
| 2 | ;lc-back | Hi [name], welcome back. I can see your earlier conversation about [topic]. Is this about the same thing? |
| 3 | ;lc-busy | Thanks for waiting, [name]. We're busier than usual, so my replies may take a minute or two. I'm reading your message now. |
| 4 | ;lc-hours | Thanks for your message. Our chat team is available [hours, with time zone]. Leave your question here and we'll reply by [channel] when we're back. |
| 5 | ;lc-lang | I can help in [language]. If you'd prefer another language, tell me and I'll check whether a colleague can help. |
Understanding the problem (6)
| # | Shortcut | Reply |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | ;lc-detail | So I can fix the right thing: what were you trying to do, and what happened instead? |
| 7 | ;lc-when | When did this start? Has anything changed since then, such as an update or a new device? |
| 8 | ;lc-screen | Could you send a screenshot of what you see? Please cover any passwords, card numbers or personal details first. |
| 9 | ;lc-error | Is there an error message? If so, please copy the exact text here. |
| 10 | ;lc-device | Which device, and which browser or app version, are you using? |
| 11 | ;lc-verify | To find your account, please confirm [verification detail your policy allows]. Please don't send your password. We will never ask for it. |
Holding and checking (5)
| # | Shortcut | Reply |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | ;lc-check | Thanks. Let me check that for you. It should take about [time]. |
| 13 | ;lc-working | I'm still working on this. Thanks for your patience. I'll have an update for you within [time]. |
| 14 | ;lc-team | I need to check this with [team]. I'll reply here by [time], or by email if the chat closes. |
| 15 | ;lc-there | Are you still there? I'll keep this chat open for [time]. If I don't hear back, you can reply to [email or ticket reference] later. |
| 16 | ;lc-found | Thanks for waiting. Here's what I found: [answer]. |
Troubleshooting (5)
| # | Shortcut | Reply |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | ;lc-steps | Let's try this: 1) [step] 2) [step] 3) [step]. Let me know what you see after step [number]. |
| 18 | ;lc-restart | Could you sign out, close [app or page], open it again and sign back in? Then tell me whether [problem] is still there. |
| 19 | ;lc-version | Please check that you're on the latest version of [app]: [where to check]. If you're not, update it and try again. |
| 20 | ;lc-worked | Did that solve it? If not, tell me which step went differently and we'll try something else. |
| 21 | ;lc-known | We know about this issue and the team is working on it. I can't give a time for the fix yet. [How the customer will be updated]. |
Orders, billing and refunds (5)
| # | Shortcut | Reply |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | ;lc-order | Could you share your order number? It's in your confirmation email and looks like [format]. |
| 23 | ;lc-status | Your order [number] is currently [status from the system]. [Next step or expected date from the system]. |
| 24 | ;lc-policy | Our refund policy for [product or plan] is: [policy summary]. Here's the full policy: [link]. Let me check whether your order qualifies. |
| 25 | ;lc-refund | I've submitted a refund of [amount] to [payment method]. You'll get a confirmation by email. [Processing time as stated in the policy]. |
| 26 | ;lc-charge | I can see [charge] on [date]. It's for [reason]. Does that match what you expected? |
Transfers and escalations (5)
| # | Shortcut | Reply |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | ;lc-transfer | I'm transferring you to [team], who can help with [topic]. I've passed on what you told me, so you won't need to repeat it. |
| 28 | ;lc-escalate | I've escalated this to [team] with your details and the steps we tried. Your reference is [ticket number]. They'll contact you by [channel]. |
| 29 | ;lc-callback | This will be easier to solve on a call. Would [time options, with time zone] work for a call from [team]? |
| 30 | ;lc-ticket | This needs [documents or a longer review], so I've opened a ticket: [number]. We'll continue by email at [address on file]. |
| 31 | ;lc-cant | I'm not able to [request] because [reason]. What I can do is [alternative]. |
Apologies (4)
| # | Shortcut | Reply |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | ;lc-sorry | I'm sorry about this, [name]. [What went wrong] shouldn't have happened. Here's what I'll do now: [action]. |
| 33 | ;lc-delay | I'm sorry for the wait. [Reason, if you can share it]. [What happens next, and when]. |
| 34 | ;lc-mistake | You're right, we made a mistake with [issue]. I've [fix], and [what changes for the customer]. |
| 35 | ;lc-upset | I understand this is frustrating, especially [specific impact]. Let's get it sorted: [next step]. |
Closing the chat (5)
| # | Shortcut | Reply |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | ;lc-more | Is there anything else I can help with today? |
| 37 | ;lc-recap | To recap: [what we did]. [What happens next, and when]. |
| 38 | ;lc-bye | Thanks for chatting with us, [name]. Have a good [day or evening]. |
| 39 | ;lc-survey | You may see a short survey after this chat. It helps us see what worked and what didn't. |
| 40 | ;lc-close | I haven't heard back for a while, so I'll close this chat now. If you still need help, start a new chat and mention [reference]. |
Use them in your help desk or across all your tools
Most help desks have saved replies of their own. Zendesk and Intercom call them macros, and a macro can also tag, assign or update the conversation. Keep replies that should change the ticket there.
A text expander is the better home for wording you need in more than one place: the chat tool, email, an internal chat and a shared document. Text Replacements expands a shortcut in Windows 10 and 11 desktop apps, including browsers, and blocks expansion in password fields.
- Export your current Text Replacements library as a backup.
- Import
live-chat-canned-responses.csv. Shortcuts you already have are skipped. - Edit the replies to match your policy, product names and tone.
- Enable one shortcut and test it in a draft, not in a live chat.
- Enable the rest once the wording is right.
If Enter sends messages in your chat tool, finish each shortcut with Space. Test multi-step replies such as ;lc-steps in a draft too.
To roll the same set out to a whole team, see sharing a snippet library with your team.
Frequently asked questions
What is a canned response in live chat?
Should I use my help desk’s saved replies or a text expander?
How do I import the CSV into Text Replacements?
Will customers notice canned responses?
Import the 40 replies, edit them for your team and insert them with a short shortcut in any Windows app.
Get Text Replacements