Building Email Templates in Agile can save you time and effort when communicating with your customers. Instead of building each newsletter, weather-delay announcement, or automated thank-you letter from scratch, you can save the layout and language of these emails so they will be ready to go each time you need them. Follow the steps below to learn how to use Email Templates in Web Portal.
First, sign into the Web Portal HERE.
On the left side of the screen, navigate to the menu, open the Customer Relations section, and select Emails and Letters.
Click on the +New Template button at the top of the screen.
The first thing you will have to decide when setting up a new Email Template is which Data Set you would like to use. Each Data Set has its own unique collection of Fields or mail merge elements depending on who exactly the Data Set is intended to reach. Customers with tickets for a specific event, members on a particular level, unrenewed season package holders, etc. You can learn more about each Data Set through the New Emails / Letter process. If you are not sure which Data Set will work best for this Email Template, you can use the red +New Email / Letter button seen above to find one with a description that best matches the kind of template you want to set up.
Creating a New Email Template
The first three fields on the Email Template page are Subject, Attachment, and Dataset for Insert Fields.
Subject will be the subject of this email once you use this template, so type something that evokes what you are trying to get across and would look good in an inbox (i.e. Members Only Invitation; November 2023 Newsletter, etc.).
Attachment will allow you to include a file that may not work as part of the email subject matter but that you still want customer to receive as part of this communication (i.e. season brochure, questionnaire, etc.).
The Dataset for Insert Fields drop-down is where you pick which variables you would like to use while building your template. ALL may be selected if you are not yet sure which fields you will need.
In the Email Design area, you will find all the tools you'll need for formatting and enhancing your template into something you will use again and again. Most of the options found here will be familiar and include alignment, bullet points, changing text size and color, and creating links or tables. Expand the menu bar by clicking in the highlighted area on the three dots to see all available options.
Insert Field and Insert Snippet are going to do a lot of the heavy lifting for this template.
Insert Field is where you are going to find mail merge elements to insert into this Email Template. The number and type of Fields available depends on the Data Set you've selected, but it should include some combination of customer and item information. The customer's first and last name, the time and date of an event, their membership level, etc.
Insert Snippets is where you can find your premade layouts of text, images, and Fields. Snippets can be added to email templates in much the same way that Fields can be added to create tables, billing address formats, and more.
Put the cursor anywhere in the letter body you want to add a field and then click the Insert Field or Insert Snippet button to launch the Agile Fields or Agile Snippets window. From here you will use the drop down menu to find the field/snippet you want to add to your email and hit OK to save.
Click the Save Changes button in the bottom left corner of the screen when you are happy with your draft.
Below, you will see an example of what an Email Template may look like when it is ready to use. Everything beneath "ATS Theatre Membership" was created as a Snippet, so this same colorful block of text can be easily added to any future emails or templates.
Using your Template
Now that you have created an Email Template, you will have a new option when you go to create a new Email / Letter. Going forward you will be able to select a Template when picking your Data Set for any email, or you can just leave that field blank to create one from scratch.
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