Support email templates: 15 replies for a small team

These are fifteen reply templates for the emails a small support team answers every week. Copy them into whatever you use: a shared inbox, a help desk’s canned responses, or a document the team keeps open.

Two kinds of blank appear in them:

• {{customer_first_name}}, {{agent_name}} and {{case_number}} are placeholders. Many tools can fill these in from the case. If yours cannot, replace them by hand.
• [BRACKETED WORDS] are blanks for a person to fill. They are there on purpose. A template that can be sent without being read will one day be sent to the wrong person.

Change the wording to sound like your team. Then read each one aloud once. If it sounds like a letter from a bank, shorten it.

Starting and moving a case

1. Acknowledge, when you need time

Use this when you cannot answer properly yet, but the customer should know a person has the case.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

Thanks for writing in. I've read your message and I'm looking into [WHAT THEY ASKED ABOUT] now.

I'll write again by [DAY AND TIME] with an answer or an update, whichever comes first.

{{agent_name}}
Case #{{case_number}}

2. Need more information

Use this when you cannot help until the customer tells you something. Ask for everything you need in one email.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

Thanks for this. So I can sort it out, could you send me:

- [FIRST THING YOU NEED]
- [SECOND THING YOU NEED]

As soon as I have those, I'll pick it up again.

{{agent_name}}

3. Handing over to a colleague

Use this when someone else on the team is better placed to help, so the customer knows who to expect.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

I've passed your question to [COLLEAGUE'S NAME], who looks after [WHAT THEY LOOK AFTER]. They have everything you've told us, so you won't need to explain it again.

You'll hear from them by [DAY].

{{agent_name}}

Bugs and requests

4. Bug confirmed

Use this when you have reproduced the problem but have no fix date yet.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

You were right: [WHAT IS BROKEN] isn't working as it should. I've reproduced it and reported it to our developers.

Until it's fixed, [WORKAROUND, OR "there isn't a way round it yet, I'm sorry"].

I'll write to you as soon as the fix is out. You don't need to keep checking.

{{agent_name}}
Case #{{case_number}}

5. Fix shipped

Use this when the bug from the email above is fixed. Ask the customer to confirm rather than closing on their behalf.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

Good news: the problem with [WHAT WAS BROKEN] is fixed as of [DATE].

Could you try it again and let me know it's working for you? If anything still looks wrong, reply here and I'll take another look.

Thanks for your patience while we sorted it.

{{agent_name}}

6. Feature request: not planned

Use this when the answer is no. Say so clearly and kindly, and offer what you can.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

Thank you for the suggestion about [THE FEATURE]. I've shared it with the team, and I want to be straight with you: it isn't something we plan to build.

[ONE SENTENCE ON WHY, IF YOU CAN SAY IT.]

In the meantime, [ALTERNATIVE OR WORKAROUND, IF THERE IS ONE].

{{agent_name}}

7. Feature request: planned, no date

Use this when it is on the list but you cannot commit to a date. Do not guess one.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

Thanks for asking about [THE FEATURE]. It's on our list, and your request has been added to it.

I can't give you a date yet, and I'd rather not guess one. When it's ready, I'll let you know.

{{agent_name}}

Money

8. Refund approved

Use this when you have issued the refund. Give the amount and say how long the bank usually takes, in your payment provider’s words.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

I've refunded [AMOUNT] to the card you paid with, for [WHAT IT WAS FOR].

[YOUR PAYMENT PROVIDER'S USUAL TIMING, e.g. "It can take several business days to show on your statement."]

If you don't see it by [DATE], reply here and I'll check.

{{agent_name}}

9. Refund declined, politely

Use this when the refund falls outside your policy. Explain the rule once, and say what you can do instead.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

Thanks for asking, and I'm sorry this hasn't worked out.

I'm not able to refund [WHAT THEY ASKED ABOUT], because [THE REASON, IN PLAIN WORDS, e.g. "our refund policy covers the first 30 days"].

What I can do is [WHAT YOU CAN OFFER]. If that would help, just reply and I'll set it up.

{{agent_name}}

10. Billing failed

Use this when a payment did not go through. Keep it short and avoid any hint of blame.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

Your payment of [AMOUNT] on [DATE] didn't go through. This usually happens when a card has expired or been replaced.

You can update your card here: [LINK]

Your account stays as it is until [DATE]. If anything here looks wrong, reply and I'll look into it.

{{agent_name}}

11. Cancellation

Use this to confirm a cancellation, say what happens next, and leave the door open without pleading.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

I've canceled your [PLAN OR SUBSCRIPTION]. You'll keep access until [DATE], and you won't be charged again.

[WHAT HAPPENS TO THEIR DATA, AND HOW TO DOWNLOAD IT FIRST.]

If you have a minute, I'd like to know what made you decide to leave. One line is plenty.

{{agent_name}}

Access

12. Password and sign-in help

Use this when someone cannot sign in. Never ask for their password, and never send one.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

Sorry you're having trouble signing in. Here's what usually fixes it:

1. Go to [SIGN-IN PAGE] and choose [WHAT YOUR "FORGOT PASSWORD" LINK SAYS].
2. Enter the email address you signed up with.
3. Open the email we send and follow the link inside. If it isn't in your inbox, check your spam folder.

If that doesn't work, reply and tell me what you see on the screen. Please don't send your password.

{{agent_name}}

When things went wrong

13. Apology for a slow reply

Use this when the customer waited longer than you said they would. Apologize once, then get to the answer.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

I'm sorry it took us until now to reply. That's longer than we aim for, and you shouldn't have had to wait.

[THE ANSWER, OR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE SO FAR.]

{{agent_name}}

14. A customer who is angry

Use this when the customer is upset. Do not argue with how they feel. Name the problem, own your part, and say exactly what happens next.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

I understand why you're frustrated. [THE PROBLEM, IN ONE SENTENCE, IN YOUR OWN WORDS] isn't good enough, and I'm sorry.

Here's what I'm doing about it: [THE CONCRETE NEXT STEP].

You'll hear from me by [DAY AND TIME], whether or not it's fully fixed by then. If you'd rather talk it through on the phone, reply with a good time and number.

{{agent_name}}

15. Closing a quiet case

Use this when you are waiting on the customer and they have gone quiet. Close kindly, and make it easy to come back.

Hi {{customer_first_name}},

I haven't heard back since [DATE], so I'll assume [THE ISSUE] is sorted or no longer needed, and close this case.

If you still need help, just reply to this email and it will come straight back to me.

{{agent_name}}
Case #{{case_number}}

Writing your own

These fifteen will not cover everything. When you find yourself typing the same answer a second time, save it. A few rules keep a library useful:

• One job per template. “Refund approved” and “refund declined” are two templates, not one with a choice inside.
• Lead with the answer. The customer’s question gets answered in the first two lines. Thanks and context come after, if at all.
• Always say what happens next. Who does what, and by when. A reply with no next step leaves the customer guessing.
• Leave a blank only a person can fill. At least one [BRACKETED] word per template forces a read before sending.
• Give each one a title the team will search for. “Invoice: where to find it” beats “Template 7”.
• Keep internal notes out. A template is written to the customer. Anything for the team belongs in a note on the case, not in the reply.
• Review them twice a year. Prices, policies and screens change. A template that names an old button is worse than no template.

For the habits around templates (one owner per email, and a status that says who it waits on), see how a small team should handle support email. For how fast to send these, see how fast a small team should reply to email.

Using them in ContactRoll

In ContactRoll, saved replies are a shared library in a case’s reply box. A saved reply can carry exactly the three placeholders used here: {{customer_first_name}} (the contact’s first name), {{agent_name}} (your name, from Settings) and {{case_number}}. They are filled in when you insert the reply. A placeholder with nothing to fill it, such as a first name the customer’s email never gave, stays on screen as written, so no one sends “Hi ,”. The bracketed blanks are yours to fill by hand. You can start free, with no card.