Message templates
A message template is an email draft with variables that automation fills in and sends on your behalf. When a robot fires, it takes the template, substitutes data from a specific deal (client name, title, amount) and sends a ready email. This keeps a consistent style for external communications and saves you from writing repetitive emails by hand.
Templates are configured at /crm/email-templates.
Why you need message templates
Templates are needed wherever the portal sends emails for you under automation rules:
- confirmation that a request was received;
- an email when a deal moves to a stage (for example, "invoice sent");
- a reminder to the client on a robot's schedule;
- a standard reply with details or a link.
A template separates the email text from the automation logic: the robot decides when to send, and the template defines what to write.
Where to set it up
Open /crm/email-templates. The list shows all templates with their subject and state (active or archived), and search works by name, subject, or text. Creating and editing require the corresponding permissions; without them, templates are read-only.
What a template consists of
A template is built from several fields:
- name — the internal name used to pick the template in the robot action;
- subject — the email subject;
- text version and/or HTML version — the email content itself.
An active template requires a subject and at least one content version (text or HTML). The name is for search and selection; it is not visible to the recipient.
Variables
In the subject and text you can use variables — tokens like {{ opportunity.title }} or {{ name }}. When sending, the portal substitutes the real data of the deal that triggered the robot. This way a single email adapts to each recipient without manual editing.
Use only variables that actually exist in the deal context: an unknown token will stay empty or be substituted incorrectly.
Preview
Before using a template, run it through preview: the portal substitutes the deal context and shows how the subject and text will look with real values. Preview is the main way to catch a typo in a token before the email goes out to the client.
In preview, check not only the text but also the substitution: did all variables expand, are there any "bare" tokens in the final email.
Active and archived templates
A template is either active or archived. An active template is available for selection in the robot action and is actually used for sending. An archived one is kept for history but is not offered in automation. Archive outdated templates instead of deleting them, so you do not lose the text or break robots that referenced them.
How a template is used in automation
A template does not send emails by itself — it is plugged into the "send email" action of a CRM robot. The robot fires on a deal event, takes the active template by name, substitutes the variables, and sends the email. So the pairing works only when there is both an active template and an enabled robot with this action.
States and limitations
- an archived template — not offered in the robot action;
- an active template with no subject or content — it cannot be saved as active;
- preview did not run — check the tokens and context;
- a "bare" token remained in the email — the variable is not in the deal context;
- no management permissions — templates are read-only.
Good practices
- Give templates clear names so they are easy to pick in the robot.
- Always check variable substitution in preview.
- Use only variables available in the deal context.
- Archive outdated templates rather than deleting them.
- Keep the HTML version tidy: the email is seen by an external recipient.
Common mistakes
A typo in a token. The variable does not expand, and the client receives an email with a "bare" {{ ... }}.
Activating a template without preview. An error in the subject or substitution goes out immediately to all of the robot's recipients.
Deleting instead of archiving. Robots that referenced the template stop sending emails.
Putting data into the template that is not in the context. The token stays empty, and the email looks unfinished.
How to check the result
- the preview shows the correct subject and text with substituted data;
- the final email has no unexpanded tokens;
- the active template is available for selection in the robot action;
- the robot with the "send email" action sends the email using this template;
- archived templates do not interfere and are not offered in automation.