Gmail's canned responses are called Templates. You turn them on once in Settings, save a drafted email as a template, and drop it into any new message or reply from the compose menu. They only work on the computer version of Gmail. For a service business, five templates cover most inbound mail: the first reply to an inquiry, booking a visit, a quote follow-up, the price question, and a polite no. The wording for all five is below.
Janelle runs a four-person gutter and roof repair company in Cincinnati. She gets about 12 quote requests a week through her website. Typing each first reply from scratch took her roughly five minutes. With a template and one line she writes fresh, it takes about a minute and a half. That saves around 42 minutes a week (12 requests at 3.5 minutes each), and more important, the replies go out the same morning instead of the same weekend.
Turning templates on
On a computer, open Gmail, click the gear, choose See all settings, open the Advanced tab, and click Enable next to Templates. Save changes at the bottom. Google lists Templates as available only on the desktop version, so if you read email on your phone, you will still need to be at a computer to insert one.
Saving a template
Write the email you want to reuse in a new compose window. Click the three dots (More options) at the bottom right, choose Templates, then Save draft as template, then Save as new template. Give it a name that says when to use it, such as "1 New inquiry reply" so the list sorts in order. To use one later, open a new message or a reply, click More options, choose Templates and pick the name. To change one, insert it, edit it, then choose Save draft as template and pick the existing name to overwrite. Deleting is permanent, with no undo, so copy the text somewhere safe before you remove anything.
Put every blank in square brackets, in capitals, so you cannot miss them: [NAME], [DAY]. A template that goes out saying "Hi [NAME]" is a worse first impression than no reply at all. Before you press Send, scan for a bracket.
Five to save first
1. New inquiry reply
Hi [NAME],
[One line about what they wrote, in your words.]
Thanks for reaching out about [JOB]. To give you a real number I need three things: the address, two or three photos of the problem area, and when you'd like the work done. If you'd rather talk it through, call or text me at [PHONE] and I'll pick up or call back the same day.
[YOUR NAME]
[BUSINESS], [PHONE]
The bracketed first line is the part you write fresh each time. It turns a form letter into a reply.
2. Booking a visit
Hi [NAME],
I can come out to [ADDRESS] for a look. Which works better: [DAY, TIME] or [DAY, TIME]? The visit takes about 30 minutes and you don't need to be home for the exterior. I'll send you the written quote within two days after.
[YOUR NAME]
Two choices get an answer faster than "when are you free?"
3. Quote follow-up
Hi [NAME],
I sent the quote for [JOB] on [DATE]. Do you have any questions about it, or about how we'd handle the [SPECIFIC PART]? If another company's number is giving you pause, I'm happy to walk through what each line covers.
[YOUR NAME]
Send it two days after the quote. The longer route for follow-up timing is in how to follow up on a website form lead.
4. The price question
Hi [NAME],
Good question. For [JOB TYPE], most jobs like yours run between $[LOW] and $[HIGH], depending on [TWO FACTORS]. I can narrow that down once I see photos or visit. Would you like to send photos today, or set up a quick visit?
[YOUR NAME]
Give a real range. A vague answer reads like a big number is coming.
5. The polite no
Hi [NAME],
Thanks for thinking of us for [JOB]. It's outside what we can take on, because [REASON: outside our area / too small / not our trade]. [NAME OF BUSINESS YOU TRUST] handles [KIND OF WORK] and may be a better fit. Wishing you the best with it.
[YOUR NAME]
It costs a minute and builds goodwill. People remember who sent them somewhere useful.
Personalize before you send
Three rules keep a template from sounding like one. Write the first line fresh every time, using something from their message (their street, the leak, the date they mentioned). Delete any sentence that doesn't apply, because a template is a draft, not a final. And change the name field first, so you aren't left with the wrong one. If a template is going to people who never wrote to you, that is cold email, and the first line has to carry the whole reason for writing; see how to send cold emails from Gmail.
When not to use a template
Skip them for a complaint, for bad news, for a question you haven't read properly, and for anyone who wrote a long, specific message. A canned answer to a thoughtful question is worse than a slow reply. Also skip them for any email where a fact might be out of date, such as prices, availability or your service area. Review each template every quarter and fix what has changed.
From templates to automatic replies
Google's page notes that you can set a Gmail filter to send a template automatically: create a filter with your search criteria, then tick "Send template" and choose one. That works for a narrow case, such as every message from your website form with a certain subject. It sends the same words to everyone who matches, including people who wrote a detailed message, so keep the template short and honest: "Got your request, I'll reply personally by 10 a.m. tomorrow," not a full quote.
The real cost of slow replies is covered in speed to lead and the lead you never followed up. Templates make your own replies faster. They don't send the follow-up on day 3, notice a reply, or call back. For reply timing in a thread, see how to send a follow-up in the same thread, and for a role address like quotes@ that fits this kind of mail, sending from an alias in Gmail.
Templates cover the replies. Rocketship covers the rest of the job: it finds the buyers by name, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own, and it answers your calls so no lead is missed. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and every monthly plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required. Answering your existing number is included; a dedicated line is $5 a month. See the AI workers.