Customer Service Macros for Black Friday: 12 Ready-to-Use Templates for Gorgias and Zendesk (2026)

Quick confession from someone who’s sat in a lot of Black Friday inboxes. By about 2 p.m. on the Friday, you stop reading tickets properly. You skim. You see “order” and “where” and your fingers start typing the same reply you’ve already typed forty times.

Most of what lands that weekend is the same half-dozen questions. Where’s my stuff. My code’s broken. I bought it last Tuesday, so do I get the sale price? Will it get here by Christmas?

Writing each of those fresh is a slow way to burn out a team. And honestly, reply number 200 is never as good as reply number 2. It gets shorter. A bit snippy. Now and then, just wrong.

Macros are the fix. We’ll go over what they are, how to build them in Gorgias and Zendesk, and then hand you 12 templates to paste in before November 27.

What Are Macros in Customer Service?

Think of a macro as a reply you’ve written once and saved, so anyone on the team can drop it into a ticket with a click. Gorgias and Zendesk both call them macros. Over in Freshdesk they’re “canned responses.” Different name, same thing.

Where it gets good is the extra stuff a macro can do. Alongside the text, it can slap a tag on the ticket, flip the status, hand it to a teammate. Gorgias goes a step further and can grab the customer’s actual Shopify order details. So your agent clicks once, the customer sees their own order number and tracking link, the ticket gets marked “WISMO,” and it closes. Nobody typed anything.

That’s why we like them so much. It’s less about typing faster and more about the ten little clicks you no longer have to make.

Why Macros Matter So Much on Black Friday

Your ticket count can easily go to two or three times normal over BFCM weekend. Your headcount, sadly, stays the same.

The time saving is the obvious bit. Three minutes of writing becomes ten seconds.

The less obvious bit is that everyone says the same thing. Picture five agents all getting “my code doesn’t work” at once. Without a macro, one of them caves and applies it manually, another says no, and now you’ve got two customers comparing notes on Instagram.

And then there’s the 11 p.m. problem. People get tired. They mix up the return window, or quote last year’s shipping cut-off. Something you wrote calmly over a coffee in October is going to be more accurate than anything typed in a hurry late on Cyber Monday.

How to Set Up Macros in Gorgias

You’ll find macros in Gorgias under settings, in the workflow tools area, with a button to create a new one. Heads up: only admins and leads get to make or edit them. Everyone else can use them, they just can’t change them, which is honestly a good thing.

When you build one, there are three bits to fill in.

First the message itself. Write it like your brand talks, and keep it shorter than you think it needs to be.

Then variables. That’s how the macro grabs the customer’s first name, their latest order number or their tracking link straight from Shopify. You pick them from a menu while you’re editing. Without these, it reads like a form letter. With them, it reads like someone actually looked.

And then actions. Tagging, closing, assigning, and, if Shopify’s hooked up, things like cancelling or refunding an order. Be a little careful with that last part. Putting a refund action on a macro is handy until somebody clicks the wrong one at speed.

There’s also a feature called Rules that can fire a macro on its own when a ticket contains certain words. It’s tempting to set one up for every “where is my order” email. Do it if you like, just test it first. A rule that triggers on the wrong ticket will send a wrong answer with total confidence.

How to Set Up Macros in Zendesk

Zendesk keeps macros in the Admin Center, in the workspace tools section. You can keep one private for yourself or share it with everybody, or with just one group.

Personalization in Zendesk works through placeholders, so you can drop in the customer’s first name, the ticket number, that kind of thing. Order details from Shopify depend on which app you’ve used to connect the two, so check what yours supports.

A Zendesk macro can also update the ticket itself. Status, priority, tags, who it’s assigned to. Get those set now. Future-you, looking at reports in December, will be glad you did.

If you open your macro list and find a graveyard of half-written replies, duplicate tags and stuff nobody remembers making, you’re not alone. Our Zendesk and Gorgias setup team can tidy it all up before the rush.

A Few Rules for Writing Macros That Don’t Sound Robotic

People can tell when they’ve been sent a template. Here’s how to make it less obvious.

Say hi with their name and answer the question in the very next line. Skip “Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your inquiry.” Nobody’s ever enjoyed reading that.

Write the way you’d actually say it out loud. Contractions, short sentences, the odd exclamation mark.

Leave a gap where the agent can add something personal. “Great pick on the green one” takes three seconds and changes the whole feel.

One sorry is plenty. Three sorries in one email sounds like a hostage note.

And finish with the next step, so the customer knows exactly what happens now.

Anywhere you see [square brackets] below, that’s where your helpdesk’s variable goes.

12 Black Friday Customer Service Macro Templates

1. Where Is My Order (In Transit)

Hey [First name],
It’s on the way! Here’s your tracking link for order [Order number]: [Tracking link]
Right now it’s looking like [Estimated delivery date]. Carriers are slammed this week, so the tracking page might lag by up to a day. If nothing’s changed in 3 days, reply here and we’ll chase it down.
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “WISMO”, set status to closed.

2. Order Not Shipped Yet

Hi [First name],
Your order [Order number] is packed and sitting by the door waiting for the courier. With the Black Friday rush, orders are going out within [X] business days. The second it leaves, you’ll get an email with tracking.
Thanks for hanging in there, it’s been a wild week over here!
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “WISMO”, “pre-shipment”, set status to closed.

3. Shipping Delay

Hi [First name],
Bad news, I’m afraid. Order [Order number] is stuck in a backlog with the carrier in your area. Their new estimate is [New date].
I’ve got an eye on it, and if anything moves I’ll message you first.
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “delay”, set status to pending.

4. Delivered but Not Received

Hi [First name],
Ugh, sorry. Tracking says it was dropped off on [Date] around [Time]. Before we panic, could you check with neighbors, behind any plants or bins, or in the mailroom if you’re in a building? You’d be surprised where these things end up.
Still no sign after 24 hours? Reply here and we’ll file a claim and make it right.
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “delivered-not-received”, set status to pending, assign to [Escalation team].

5. Discount Code Not Working

Hi [First name],
Let’s figure this out. [Code] is good on [Eligible items] until [End date and time], and it won’t stack with other codes.
If your cart ticks those boxes and it’s still refusing, send a screenshot of the checkout and I’ll dig in.
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “discount-issue”.

6. Price Adjustment Request (Bought Before the Sale)

Hi [First name],
Oof, I know that feeling. [Choose one: “Good news, we can give you the difference back as store credit.” / “Sale pricing only covers orders placed during the sale, so I can’t change past orders. But here’s [Offer] for next time, on us.”]
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “price-adjustment”.

7. Cancel My Order

Hi [First name],
[Choose one: “Done! Order [Order number] is cancelled and [Amount] is heading back to you. Banks usually take 5–10 business days to show it.” / “Ah, it’s already shipped, so I can’t stop it now. When it arrives, you can send it back through [Returns link].”]
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “cancellation”.

8. Change My Shipping Address

Hi [First name],
Good thing you caught it! [Choose one: “I’ve switched order [Order number] over to the new address.” / “It’s already with the courier, so I can’t edit it from here. You can ask them to redirect it here: [Courier link].”]
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “address-change”. Set this one to high priority. Every hour counts.

9. Item Sold Out or Back-Ordered

Hi [First name],
So, [Product name] in [Variant] flew off the shelves way faster than we planned for. More should land around [Date].
You’ve got three options: wait for it, swap to another size or color, or take a full refund. Whatever’s easiest for you.
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “backorder”, set status to pending.

10. Will It Arrive Before Christmas?

Hi [First name],
If you want it under the tree, order by [Standard cut-off date] for regular shipping or [Express cut-off date] for express. After that it might still make it, but I’d hate to promise and be wrong.
Hope they love it!
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “holiday-shipping”, set status to closed.

11. Return Request on a Sale Item

Hi [First name],
Sure thing. Anything from Black Friday can come back until [Return deadline]. Pop your order number in at [Returns link] to get started. Once it’s back with us, refunds usually take [X] business days.
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “return-request”.

12. Damaged or Wrong Item

Hi [First name],
Oh no, that’s not what we wanted you opening. Can you snap a quick photo of the item and the box? As soon as I’ve got it, I’ll send a replacement or refund, your call, and you can keep the wrong one.
[Agent name]

Actions: Tag “damaged-wrong-item”, set priority to high.

Tag Everything, Then Look at the Tags in December

Every macro up there adds a tag. That wasn’t an accident, and it’s the part most stores forget.

Come December, run a report by tag and see what jumps out. Loads of “discount-issue”? Your offer rules confused people, so make them simpler next year. A spike in “delivered-not-received”? Might be time for a frank chat with your carrier.

Basically, your Black Friday inbox becomes a list of things to fix in the store. Our macros, tags and workflows service sets this up so the reports actually tell you something.

Pair Macros With Proactive Messages

Macros make answering fast. Even better, though, is not getting the question at all.

Send decent shipping updates with tracking links, and warn people about delays before they spot them, and you’ll find yourself using half these macros way less. We dig into that in our guide to reducing WISMO tickets on Shopify, and our customer order updates team can handle it end to end.

Same goes for a good FAQ and help center. Put the Christmas cut-offs and the return window there, link to it in your macros, and a fair number of customers will just go read it themselves.

Test Your Macros Before November 27

Nothing quite ruins a Friday like realizing your variable broke and 80 customers just got an email starting “Hi {{first_name}}.”

So test them. Fire each macro into a dummy ticket and check the name fills in, the tag shows up, and any action does what it says. Swap in this year’s dates, codes and cut-offs. Then spend twenty minutes walking the team through which macro goes with which situation.

If you already know your team won’t keep up no matter how good the macros are, extra hands for the sale might be the answer. Our guide to Black Friday customer support talks through how brands handle it, and here’s our Black Friday support service if you want help.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are macros in customer service?
Replies you’ve saved ahead of time so an agent can use them with one click. In Gorgias or Zendesk, they can also tag the ticket, close it or pass it to someone, which saves a bunch of clicking on top of the typing.

What’s the difference between a macro and a canned response?
Mostly just what the tool calls it. Freshdesk says canned responses. Gorgias and Zendesk say macros, and theirs can also do things to the ticket, which a plain canned reply usually can’t.

How many macros should a Shopify store have?
We’d start with somewhere around 10 to 20 for the questions you get every week. If you’ve somehow ended up with 200 and nobody can find anything, it’s time for a spring clean.

Can Gorgias macros pull in Shopify order details?
They can. Once Shopify’s connected, you can drop the order number, tracking link and other details straight into the reply.

Should macros be used for every ticket?
Nope. Use them for the repeat stuff. When someone’s upset, or the problem’s weird, have the agent write a proper reply. Starting from a macro is fine, just make it personal.

Get Your Helpdesk Ready for the Rush

Macros won’t make Black Friday calm. Nothing does. But they’ll make it a lot more manageable, and your team will still be functioning by Sunday.

Want a hand building macros, tags and workflows in Gorgias or Zendesk before the sale? Have a look at our helpdesk setup and automation service, start with a 15-day free pilot, or just message us on WhatsApp.