Skip to main content

Manage Email Templates and Formatting

This article explains how email templates work, how to update formatting and content, and how to avoid common issues that cause automation emails to fail.

Written by Terence Cassidy

Create, edit, and troubleshoot email templates used in automations.

⚠️ Important: Email templates are used only by automations. Chatbots do not send emails directly.

Access Email Templates

  1. Go to Automations.

  2. Click Email Templates.

  3. Select the template you want to review or edit.

📌 Note: Changes apply immediately to any automation using the template.

Understand Email Template Types

Email templates support two formats.

Rich Text Templates

Rich text templates allow basic formatting.

You can:

  • Change font style and size.

  • Apply bold or colour formatting.

  • Insert links and merge tags.

📌 Note: Rich text templates are best for simple automation emails.

Template Builder (Drag-and-Drop)

The template builder supports structured layouts.

You can:

  • Add headers, images, and buttons.

  • Use content blocks and sections.

  • Apply more advanced visual layouts.

📌 Note: Availability depends on your subscription plan.

Edit Email Content

  1. Open the email template.

  2. Update the subject line.

  3. Edit the email body content.

  4. Save your changes.

📌 Note: Always review formatting after editing, especially when copying content from external tools.

Use Merge Tags Safely

Merge tags personalise automation emails using CRM data.

  1. Insert merge tags only where data is guaranteed to exist.

  2. Avoid tags linked to optional fields.

  3. Save and test the template.

⚠️ Important: Emails fail if a merge tag references an empty CRM field.

Common Merge Tag Failure Examples

Merge tags often fail when referencing:

  • Record owner names.

  • Migrated CRM data with missing owners.

  • Optional contact or candidate fields.

  • Cloned or duplicated templates with corrupted blocks.

📌 Note: These failures usually affect only some records, not the entire automation.

Troubleshoot Merge Tag Issues

Manually Insert Merge Tags

If the merge tag picker isn’t working, you can manually add the merge tags directly into the template text. Use the following syntax:

  • For the owner’s phone number: %%OWNER.PHONE%%

  • For the owner’s email address: %%OWNER.EMAIL%%

Replace Problematic Blocks

If merge tags are not working in a specific block of a cloned or duplicated template, follow these steps:

  1. Delete the problematic heading or paragraph block.

  2. Add a new block in its place.

  3. Reinsert the merge tags into the new block. This often resolves issues caused by cloning or duplicating templates.

Update Fonts and Branding

You can adjust branding directly in the template.

  1. Open the email template.

  2. Update fonts, colours, or logos.

  3. Remove images or headers if required.

  4. Save the template.

📌 Note: Branding updates do not require engineering support.

Remove Logos or Images

  1. Open the email template.

  2. Select the image or logo block.

  3. Delete the block.

  4. Save the template.

📌 Note: This applies to both rich text and template builder layouts.

Identify Email Template Issues During Triage

When emails fail to send:

  1. Open the automation Activity view.

  2. Identify failed email actions.

  3. Open the associated email template.

  4. Review merge tags and formatting.

📌 Note: Email template issues are the most common automation failure cause.

Share the Correct Template Reference

When escalating issues to engineering:

  1. Open the email template.

  2. Copy the page URL.

  3. Include the URL in the support ticket.

📌 Note: URLs allow engineers to access the exact template instantly.

💡 Best Practices

  • Keep automation emails simple and clean.

  • Avoid merge tags tied to optional fields.

  • Test templates with real CRM data.

  • Update branding directly instead of requesting engineering changes.

  • Always copy the template URL when escalating issues.

  • Avoid excessive cloning or duplicating of templates.

  • Keep the email builder updated to the latest version to minimise technical glitches.

🤔 FAQs

Q1: Can I change fonts or remove logos myself?
Answer: Yes, email templates support font, colour, and image changes without engineering help.

Q2: Why do some automation emails fail but others succeed?
Answer: This usually happens when merge tags reference missing CRM data for specific records.

Q3: Do changes to templates affect running automations?

Answer: Yes, changes apply immediately to all automations using the template.

Q4: What should I do if the merge tag picker isn't working?

Answer: You can manually insert merge tags using the syntax %%OWNER.PHONE%% or %%OWNER.EMAIL%% directly in the template text.

Q5: Why do merge tags stop working in cloned templates?

Answer: Cloning or duplicating templates can sometimes corrupt blocks. Delete the affected block, add a new one, and reinsert the merge tags.

Related Articles
Did this answer your question?