Use a snippet in a reply

Three ways to get a snippet into your reply, ranked by speed.

Method 1 — Shortcode (fastest)

In the reply editor, type the snippet’s shortcode with its !! prefix (e.g. !!return). The snippet expands inline, with variables resolved to real values. Continue editing as needed and send.

This is the way snippets are designed to be used. Once you know your most-used shortcodes by muscle memory, snippet usage becomes invisible — you’re typing your reply and the templated bits appear as you go.

Method 2 — Snippet picker (when you don’t remember the shortcode)

1. In the reply editor, click the Snippets button in the toolbar.
2. Browse by category — All Snippets (or Search Results while you’re searching), Personal, Global, Recently Used, Favorites, or one of your team’s snippet groups — or search by title, shortcode, or content. If you belong to a team, the All Snippets and group views also split results into “Suggested for Your Team” and “Other Snippets” so team-relevant snippets surface first (favorited snippets are always pinned above both, under their own “Favorites” header — except while searching or when you’re already inside the Favorites/Recent tabs).
3. Preview a snippet before inserting it: click the eye icon on a snippet row, or — once you’ve started navigating the list with the arrow keys — press p to toggle the preview pane for the highlighted row. The preview pane only shows up when the picker is wide enough to fit it; in a narrow composer you’ll just see the category and snippet-list panes. The preview shows the full rendered content, but variables render as {{...}} placeholder chips rather than resolved values — actual customer and agent data fills in only once you insert the snippet into your reply.
4. Click the snippet (or press Enter on the highlighted row) to insert it at the cursor.
5. Variables resolve, you can continue editing.

The picker is good for first-time use of a snippet, for browsing what’s available, or when you remember roughly what you want but not the exact shortcode. Previewing first helps you avoid mis-inserts — especially when several snippets have similar names or overlapping content.

Keyboard shortcuts in the picker

Once the picker is open, the whole thing is keyboard-driven:

• ← — Switch to the Categories pane
• → — Switch to the Snippets pane
• ↑ — Move up within the active pane
• ↓ — Move down within the active pane
• Enter — In the Snippets pane, insert the highlighted snippet. In the Categories pane, open the highlighted category. While you’re still typing a search query, Enter inserts the top match instead.
• + or = — Add the highlighted snippet to favorites
• - — Remove the highlighted snippet from favorites
• p / P — Toggle the preview pane for the highlighted snippet (only once you’ve started navigating with the arrow keys, and only when the picker is wide enough to show a preview)
• Esc — Close the picker

Method 3 — Favorites

Star your most-used snippets from the picker — click the star icon next to a snippet row, or highlight it with the arrow keys and press +/= (press - to remove it again). Starred snippets appear pinned at the top of the picker’s All Snippets, group, and scope views for quick access. There’s a maximum number of snippets you can favorite at once; the picker warns you if you try to add more once you’ve hit the cap. Useful when you have 50+ snippets and only ~10 you reach for daily.

Picking up where you left off

If you’ve already typed part of your reply and want to add a snippet:

• Shortcode — type !!<code> at the cursor position. The snippet inserts at that point. The text you already wrote stays intact.
• Picker — open the picker, click the snippet (or press Enter on the highlighted row). It inserts at the cursor.

Snippets aren’t whole-reply replacements. Mix them with your own typing — open with a personalized greeting, drop in a snippet for the policy text, close with your own sign-off.

What gets resolved at insertion time

Variables fill in the moment the snippet expands into the editor. The available variables are:

Agent - {{agent.displayName}} → your display name - {{agent.firstName}} → your first name - {{agent.lastName}} → your last name - {{agent.fullName}} → your full name - {{agent.email}} → your email address

Customer/Caller - {{contact.name}} → the customer’s full name - {{contact.firstName}} → the customer’s first name (derived from their name) - {{contact.lastName}} → the customer’s last name (derived from their name) - {{contact.email}} → the customer’s primary email address - {{contact.phone}} → the customer’s primary phone number

Custom fields - {{contact.custom.<field key>}} → the value of any CRM custom field your tenant has configured — one variable per custom field

If the underlying contact has no value for a given field (e.g. no phone number on file), the variable resolves to blank text rather than showing an error. See the variables reference for the full list.

After expansion, the variables are plain text in your reply. You can edit them — change the name’s spelling, delete a detail that’s not relevant for this particular reply, etc. The snippet has done its job.

Snippet attachments

Inline images — JPEG, PNG, GIF, and WEBP — stay embedded in the snippet body and are not duplicated as separate attachments.

Everything else the snippet carries appears in the reply editor’s attachment area after insertion and sends the same way manually attached files do. That includes PDFs, Word/Excel/PowerPoint files, plain text or CSV files, and even other image formats (SVG, BMP, TIFF, HEIC, etc.) that don’t qualify as inline images.

SMS replies do not carry snippet file attachments. If you’re replying by SMS, use the snippet text, but don’t rely on attached files being sent.

Common workflow patterns

• Reply to FAQ-style question — Type the shortcode → light personalization → send
• Reply to nuanced question — Open with your own context paragraph → insert a snippet for the standard part → close with your own customization → send
• Multiple-snippet reply — First snippet via shortcode → second snippet via picker → personalize, send
• Quick acknowledgment — !!ack or similar tiny snippet that just says “Got it, looking into this now”

Editing after insertion

The snippet’s content is now part of your reply text. You can:

• Delete sentences you don’t need
• Rephrase awkward parts
• Adjust tone (snippets in your team’s voice, but you might be replying to a frustrated customer who needs softer wording)
• Add attachments specific to this conversation

The snippet is a starting point, not a script. Treat it that way.

Troubleshooting

• Symptom: Typed the shortcode but nothing expanded. Fix: Confirm the shortcode is typed correctly, including the !! prefix — you can look it up in the snippet picker if you’re not sure. If the snippet is restricted to specific teams, confirm you’re a member of one of those teams; otherwise it won’t resolve for you even with the right shortcode.
• Symptom: Variables in the expanded snippet show as literal {{...}} instead of a real value. Fix: A recognized variable with missing data resolves to blank text, not literal braces — so literal {{...}} left behind means the variable key itself is misspelled or isn’t a recognized variable (e.g. a custom-field key that’s since been removed). The expanded text is now editable — just type over the broken variable.
• Symptom: I want a snippet I see another agent using but it’s not in my picker. Fix: It’s a Personal snippet of theirs (Personal snippets are visible only to their creator), or a Global snippet restricted to a team you’re not in. Ask the agent (or admin) to change its visibility, or create your own version.

See also

• What are Snippets?
• Snippet variables reference
• Create a snippet