By the Onsites AI team · Last updated · 6-minute read
Every desk's reply library starts the same way: someone hand-writes the same answer four times in a week and saves it. This guide is the complete set for a commerce or services desk — twenty-five core templates written for the desk's shared templates, organized by what they answer (orders, money, documents, pre-sale, relations), plus the four hard boundary cases nobody writes until the queue forces them. Two rules govern all of them. Templates carry voice and structure; humans carry the name, the date and the judgment — the personalization spots are marked in each. And every template ends with a next step and its date — the discipline that separates a reply from a sentence. The copilot drafts from these daily at credit prices; the human approves, personalizes, sends.
01 — Order status: "Hi [name] — [item] (#1041) left our depot on [date] with [carrier]; it's currently [live status] and expected [date]. I'll flag you if anything changes. Anything else on this order?" (the live-status version reads from synced data — never yesterday's). 02 — Tracking not updating: "The carrier's scan [location] is the latest — scans can [gap honestly]; here's the direct tracking link: [url]. If it hasn't moved by [date +2], I'll chase the carrier myself and come back to you that day." 03 — Delivery delay announcement: (sent proactively — the delay guide writes it fully): "Your order (#1041) is running [X days] late — [reason, one line, no blame]. New estimate [date]. If that doesn't work for you, [option A / option B]. I'm sorry — you'll hear it from me first from now on." 04 — Backorder: see the dedicated template below (the harder cousin of 03). 05 — Address change post-shipment: "I've asked the carrier — outcome by [date]: either they reroute or it delivers and we reship [cost answer]. You won't lose either way." 06 — Order received, question: "Thanks for letting us know — [answer]. If anything's off in the next [window], reply here and it lands straight with me."
07 — Refund, approved: "Done — [amount] to [method] now; your bank shows it in [window]. You'll have the confirmation email in a minute. Sorry it went sideways; you get the good ending either way." 08 — Refund, partially approved: "I can refund [amount / %] today — here's why honestly: [one line]. If that doesn't sit right, [ escalation path: 'say the word and it goes to [owner] today' ]." (the refund guide's rungs). 09 — Refund, declined with reason: the boundary template — see below. 10 — Invoice dispute: "Looking now. To fix it fastest: is it [line X] or [line Y]? Either way I'll have the corrected invoice (#1041R) to you by [date] — you don't need to do anything." (the invoice-in-thread pattern answers from the document itself). 11 — Chargeback answer: "I see the dispute — before it escalates: can I resolve this directly? [Fix on offer.] If it still needs the formal route, here's everything documented: [thread facts]." (Most disputes end here; the desk's memory is the evidence.)
12 — The quote: "Hi [name] — quote #1042 attached inline: [items], [validity date], [terms]. Any line you want adjusted, say which and I'll reissue in minutes." (written from the catalog — the quote guide's structure). 13 — The requote: "Recalculated for [change]: new total [amount], validity [date]. Version history stays in this thread so nothing forks." 14 — The proforma: "PI #1041 attached — deposit [X%] due [date], banking details inside. Confirm the deposit and production starts; balance before shipment as agreed." 15 — The PO received: "PO [number] confirmed against quote #1042 — [items], [price check], production from [date]. Anything that changes during production, you hear it from me first." 16 — The price list: "Current list attached — [currency], valid [date range]; wholesale tiers start at [MOQ]. Want me to quote your usual basket at current rates?"
17 — Size/spec question: "[Answer in buyer words] — size chart and the honest fit note here: [link]. If you're between sizes, [guidance]. Happy to quote both if that helps." 18 — Availability: "[Item] is [in stock / back in on date] — I can hold one for [grace window] if you want it; say the word." 19 — Shipping cost and timeline: "[Cost], [carrier], [window] to [region] — tracking included, and the [duty/import note if relevant, honestly]." 20 — The custom request: "[What's possible, one line] / [what isn't, one line] — if you want it, quote by [date]; if not, [alternative] is [alternative fact]."
21 — The apology that repairs: (the repair guide's full shape): "You're right, and I'm sorry: [what went wrong, owned plainly]. Here's what I've done about it: [action]. And so it doesn't happen again: [system change]. If you give me the chance, [make-it-right offer]." 22 — Out of stock: (the backorder guide's core): "Honest news: [item] is out of stock until [date]. Options: [wait with priority hold] / [closest alternative] / [cancel, easy]. Which suits?" 23 — The follow-up: "Checking in on [thing] — still [needed / wanted]? [New info if any, one line.] No worries if the timing's off; I'll leave the door open." 24 — The thank-you: "Just to say — thanks for [the order / the patience / the review]. [One specific true line.] You're welcome any time." 25 — The review ask (after delight, not before): "If [the outcome] is serving you well, a review helps more than any ad we could buy: [link]. If anything's off, reply here first and I'll fix it before you write it."
26 — Say no, politely: "[What they asked], honestly: [no + the reason in one true line]. What I can do: [the yes that exists]. [Next step + date.]" (the say-no guide works the anatomy). 27 — The discount decline: "[Price] is the price we can hold quality at — sorry to be blunt about it. What I can offer instead: [genuine alternative]. If that changes the picture for you: [next step]." 28 — The policy hold: "I hear you — and I wish I could bend this one: [policy + why it exists, one honest line]. [The option inside the policy.] [Review path: 'and if you want [owner] to look at it fresh, say the word.']." 29 — The unhappy ending: "We got this wrong end to end, and I'd rather be straight: [what can't be fixed]. What I owe you: [refund / compensation, concrete]. The account stays open with me — [next step if they return]." (the rarest template; also the one buyers screenshot when desks use it honestly — the boundaries guide covers when to reach it.)
Personalize the marked spots — always: name, item, date, and the one personal line; a template reply that skips them is a form letter wearing the desk's name (the weekly card catches it). Keep dates true: every promise carries a real date and a scheduled follow-up; templates without dates are deferred reopeners. Let the copilot draft from them daily: the handbook + templates are the drafts' source (the feeding guide), at credit prices that keep the whole library's use in single-digit dollars monthly. Retire and rewrite: a template that needed heavy editing three times in a month is telling you the queue changed — rewrite it or retire it. Twenty-five templates is not the desk's voice on autopilot; it is the desk's voice, written down so the humans can spend their judgment where it counts.
What reply templates does a small support desk need?
Twenty-five covers most commerce and services queues: six order replies (status, tracking, delay, backorder, address change, follow-up), five money replies (refunds approved/partial/declined, invoice disputes, chargebacks), five document replies (quotes, requotes, proformas, POs, price lists), four pre-sale replies, five relation replies (apology, out-of-stock, follow-up, thank-you, review ask) and four boundary replies (say-no, discount decline, policy hold, the unhappy ending).
How do templates stay personal?
The template carries voice and structure; the human carries the name, item, real date, and one personal line. Skip exactly zero of those spots. The QA card catches form-letter drift weekly, and templates that need heavy edits three times in a month get rewritten.
What makes a refund or complaint template work?
An owned, specific action with a date ("refunded today, bank shows it in 2 days"), the honest reason where a no is involved, and a next step that moves the thread. The refund ladder (approved, partial, declined) and the apology-repair shape both live in the templates library.
Can AI use these templates safely?
Yes — that is their main use: the copilot drafts from templates plus the thread's context (orders, quotes, accounts) at credit prices, the human reviews and personalizes, the desk keeps its voice at machine speed. The draft share of replies rises only alongside the review discipline.
Should we write templates for saying no?
Especially for saying no: the boundary templates (polite no, discount decline, policy hold, the unhappy ending) are the ones desks improvise badly. Each carries the anatomy: the honest reason in one line, the real option that exists, the next step with a date.