Canned responses

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Introduction

In fast-paced business environments, quick and consistent communication is key. That’s where Odoo Canned Responses come in.

 

Canned responses are shortcuts that expand into longer, pre-set messages. Instead of typing the same sentence over and over, you just enter a simple keyword (like :hello) and Odoo instantly replaces it with the full response (“Hello, thank you for contacting us. How can I help you today?”).

 

They help you:

  • Save time with repetitive replies
  • Reduce typing errors
  • Keep messages consistent across your team

Improve customer experience in Live Chat, Discuss, Chatter, and WhatsApp

Step-by-Step Instructions

 

1. Create Canned Responses in Odoo

  1. Go to Discuss app → Configuration → Canned Responses.
  2. Click New to add a response.
  3. Fill in the details:
    1. Shortcut → the keyword you type (e.g., :thanks).
    2. Substitution → the full message (e.g., “Thank you for reaching out. We’ll get back to you shortly.”).
    3. Description → notes or guidelines about when to use it.
    4. Authorized Groups → choose which user groups can use the response.

 If no group is selected, only the creator can use it.

 Example: OdooBot-created responses must be assigned to an authorized group before your team can use them.

 

2. Share Responses with Your Team

By default, a canned response belongs only to the user who created it.

To share:

  • Add the relevant Authorized Groups to the response.
  • To check user groups:
    • Enable Developer Mode.
    • Go to Settings → Users & Companies → Users → open a user record → click Groups.
  • To see all members of a group:
    • Enable Developer Mode.
    • Go to Settings → Users & Companies → Groups → select a group → open the record.

 The creator can always use their response, even if not in the group.

 

3. Use a Canned Response in Odoo

Canned responses work in:

  • Live Chat (with customers)
  • Discuss app (direct messages & channels)
  • Chatter composer on records
  • WhatsApp (if integrated)

To use a response:

  1. Type a colon (:) in the chat box.
  2. Enter the shortcut (e.g., :welcome).
  3. Press Enter → the shortcut expands to the full substitution.
  4. Edit the text if needed before sending.

 Tip: Just typing : shows a drop-down list of available canned responses. Start typing a few letters to filter the list.

Tips

  • Keep shortcuts simple and related to the message (:price, :faq, :followup).
  • Regularly review and clean up old responses to avoid clutter.
  • Share responses with the right groups for team-wide consistency.
  • Use descriptions to guide teammates on when and how to use responses.
  • Combine canned responses with @mentions in Chatter to speed up collaboration.

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