Using Canned Responses as a Time-Saving Device

Published on October 8, 2014

If you find your Gmail inbox inundated with copious amounts of emails on a daily basis, like the vast majority of the business world does these days,  we guess you spend good amount of time drafting and sending replies during your work day.

It is also likely that a good amount of these emails can be answered with similar content. Realtors, for example, end up sending out showing instructions for a property over and over again, so why not draft an email response that is instantly replicated and distributed?

Google Labs has a great feature called "Canned Responses" which creates an avenue for you to use pre-written emails for multiple clients. Here's how it works.

What are "Canned Responses"?

Canned responses allow users save an email template for repeated use. For example, you can draft a "Thank you for coming!" email, and personalize it to include your recipient's name.

These emails are a useful time saving device for any with a high volume of email input a day.

Some examples of canned responses are:

  • Client questionnaires
  • Meeting agenda email templates
  • Thank you emails
  • Detailed directions
  • Showing instructions (for real estate agents, for example)

Enable "Canned Responses"

Before you are able to use canned responses, make sure you've enabled them.

  1. Click the gear icon in the right corner of your Gmail.
  2. Go to "Settings"
  3. Click on the "Labs" tab
  4. Go to "Search for a Lab" - type in "Canned Responses"
  5. Click on "Enable" for Canned Responses by Chad P.
  6. Save Changes

Create Your Canned Response

Now you can begin to draft an email which you will be able to use for a canned reponse in the future.

  1. Click on "Compose"
  2. Create your own response - Here you can draft an email you'll want to use for a canned response. You can bold or highlight any areas you'd want to personalize in the future (like names, dates, or otherwise)
  3. In your compose box, click on the arrow next to the trash icon. From here, select "New canned response..."
  4. Name your canned response, and save

Use your Canned Response

Hooray! Now you've got a canned reponse ready to be used. But how do you access it in the future?

  1. Again, click on the "Compose" button
  2. Click on the arrow by the trash can again, and open up "Canned responses"
  3. Click on the name of the response you'd like to use (located under the "Insert" heading)
  4. Change any information you wish, and send.

It's as easy as that.

How are you using canned responses? We want to know! Drop a comment below, or send us an email.