Create Email Templates

What this guide covers

This guide explains how to create, organize, and use email templates in the JobsiteOn inbox. Templates let you save commonly used messages and insert them quickly when composing emails or replies, saving you time and ensuring consistent communication with your customers.

By the end of this guide you will know how to:

• Create a new email template from scratch
• Use dynamic variables to personalize templates automatically
• Organize templates into categories for quick access
• Insert a template when composing an email or reply
• Edit and manage existing templates

Before you begin

Make sure you have:

• Inbox access enabled for your user account
• A company email address configured in Settings. See Set Up Your Company Email Address if you have not set this up yet.
• A few common email scenarios identified -- think about the messages you send repeatedly, like appointment confirmations, quote follow-ups, or payment reminders. These are your best candidates for templates.

Note: Templates are shared across your team. Any template you create is available to all team members with inbox access. This ensures consistent messaging regardless of who replies to a customer.

Why templates save your team time

Field service businesses send many of the same types of emails. Consider how often you write:

• "Here is your estimate for the work we discussed"
• "Your appointment is confirmed for [date]"
• "Just following up on the quote we sent last week"
• "Your invoice is attached -- here are the payment options"

Without templates, each team member writes these from scratch every time, leading to inconsistent tone, missing information, and wasted minutes that add up across your team.

With templates, you write the message once, add dynamic variables for personalization, and insert it with two clicks.

Step 1 -- Navigate to template settings

1. Open the Inbox from the left sidebar
2. Look for the Templates option in the inbox toolbar or settings area
3. Click Templates to open the template management view

Alternatively, you may find templates under Settings > Inbox > Templates depending on your workspace configuration.

Step 2 -- Create a new template

1. Click the Create Template or New Template button
2. You will see a template editor with the following fields:

Template name

Give your template a descriptive internal name. This is what you and your team see when searching for templates. Good naming conventions include:

• "Quote Follow-Up -- 3 Day"
• "Appointment Confirmation"
• "Payment Reminder -- First Notice"
• "Job Completion Thank You"

Tip: Use a consistent naming pattern across all your templates. Starting with the template's purpose (Quote, Appointment, Payment, Job) makes them easy to find in a list.

Subject line (optional)

If your template is meant for new emails (not replies), you can include a subject line. When you insert the template, the subject is pre-filled along with the body.

For replies, the subject line is ignored since replies keep the original conversation subject.

Template body

Write your email content in the body editor. Use the rich text formatting tools to structure your message with:

• Headings and paragraphs
• Bold and italic text for emphasis
• Bullet and numbered lists
• Links to resources, payment pages, or booking URLs

Here is an example template body for an appointment confirmation:

Hi {{contact_first_name}},

This is to confirm your upcoming appointment:

- **Date:** {{appointment_date}}
- **Time:** {{appointment_time}}
- **Service:** {{service_name}}
- **Location:** {{property_address}}

Please make sure someone 18 or older is present at the property
during the scheduled time. If you need to reschedule, please reply
to this email or call us at (555) 123-4567 at least 24 hours
in advance.

We look forward to serving you.

Best regards,
{{company_name}}

Step 3 -- Add dynamic variables

Dynamic variables are placeholders that automatically fill in with real data when you use the template. They are written with double curly braces: {{variable_name}}.

Available variables

Here are the commonly available variables:

Variable	Inserts
{{contact_first_name}}	The contact's first name
{{contact_last_name}}	The contact's last name
{{contact_full_name}}	The contact's full name
{{contact_email}}	The contact's email address
{{contact_phone}}	The contact's phone number
{{company_name}}	Your company name
{{company_phone}}	Your company phone number
{{property_address}}	The property address associated with the conversation
{{job_number}}	The job number if the conversation is linked to a job
{{invoice_number}}	The invoice number if applicable
{{invoice_amount}}	The invoice total amount if applicable
{{quote_number}}	The quote number if applicable
{{quote_amount}}	The quote total amount if applicable

Inserting variables into your template

While editing the template body, you can:

1. Type the variable manually -- type the double curly braces and variable name exactly as shown above
2. Use the variable picker -- click the Insert Variable button in the template editor toolbar to see a list of available variables and click one to insert it at your cursor position

Note: If a variable does not have a value when the template is used (for example, using {{job_number}} on a conversation not linked to a job), the variable placeholder is replaced with an empty string. Review the email before sending to make sure all variables resolved correctly.

Variable best practices

• Always preview a template with variables before using it with a real customer
• Provide fallback text near variables in case they do not resolve. For example, write "your upcoming appointment" instead of relying solely on {{service_name}} to describe the appointment.
• Use {{contact_first_name}} for a personal touch. "Hi Sarah" reads much better than "Hi Customer" or "Hello."

Step 4 -- Organize templates into categories

As your template library grows, categories keep everything organized and easy to find.

Creating categories

When creating or editing a template, you can assign it to a category. Common categories include:

• Appointments -- confirmations, reminders, rescheduling
• Quotes -- quote delivery, follow-ups, revisions
• Invoices -- payment reminders, receipts, overdue notices
• Jobs -- job start notifications, completion updates, satisfaction surveys
• General -- greetings, thank-you messages, out-of-office

Why categories matter

When you insert a template during composition, the template picker shows categories as filter tabs. If you have 30 templates, finding the right one in a flat list takes time. With categories, you click the "Quotes" tab and immediately see only your quote-related templates.

Tip: Start with 5-8 templates covering your most common scenarios. You can always add more as you identify new patterns in your team's communication.

Step 5 -- Save the template

After filling in the name, optional subject, body, variables, and category:

1. Click Save Template
2. The template is now available to your entire team

You will see the template appear in your template list, organized by its assigned category.

Using templates when composing

Now that you have templates created, here is how to use them in practice.

Inserting a template into a new email

1. Open the compose window (see Compose and Send Your First Email)
2. Click the Templates button in the compose toolbar (usually an icon resembling a document or lightning bolt)
3. Browse categories or search by template name
4. Click the template you want to use
5. The subject line (if included) and body content are inserted into your compose window
6. Dynamic variables are replaced with actual data from the conversation context
7. Review the populated email, make any adjustments, and send

Inserting a template into a reply

1. Open a conversation and go to the reply area
2. Click the Templates button in the reply toolbar
3. Select the template
4. The template body is inserted into your reply
5. Variables resolve based on the conversation's linked contact and related records
6. Edit as needed and send

Tip: After inserting a template, always read through the populated email before sending. Check that all variables resolved correctly and that the content makes sense for this specific customer and situation. Templates are a starting point, not a finished product.

Searching for templates

If you have many templates, use the search field in the template picker. Type keywords from the template name or content to filter results quickly.

Editing existing templates

To modify a template after creation:

1. Navigate to the template management view (Settings > Inbox > Templates or the Templates section in the inbox)
2. Find the template you want to edit
3. Click Edit
4. Make your changes to the name, subject, body, variables, or category
5. Click Save

Changes take effect immediately. The next time anyone uses this template, they will get the updated version.

Note: Editing a template does not affect previously sent emails that used the template. Those emails were already sent with the content as it was at the time.

Deleting templates

To remove a template you no longer need:

1. Open the template management view
2. Find the template
3. Click Delete and confirm the action

Deleted templates are permanently removed and cannot be recovered. Consider renaming or archiving unused templates instead if you might need them later.

Template ideas for field service businesses

Here are starter templates your team can customize:

Quote delivery

Subject: Your estimate from {{company_name}}

Body: "Hi {{contact_first_name}}, thank you for the opportunity to provide a quote for your project. Attached you will find our estimate #{{quote_number}} for {{quote_amount}}. This quote is valid for 30 days. Please reply to this email if you have questions or would like to proceed."

Payment reminder

Subject: Invoice #{{invoice_number}} -- Payment reminder

Body: "Hi {{contact_first_name}}, this is a friendly reminder that invoice #{{invoice_number}} for {{invoice_amount}} is due. You can pay online using the link below or send a check to our office. Please let us know if you have any questions about the invoice."

Job completion follow-up

Subject: Your project is complete

Body: "Hi {{contact_first_name}}, we have completed the work at {{property_address}}. Everything went smoothly and our team has cleaned up the work area. If you notice anything that needs attention, please do not hesitate to reach out. We appreciate your business and hope to work with you again."

Troubleshooting

Variables are not being replaced when I insert a template

Check the following:

• The variable syntax is correct: {{variable_name}} with double curly braces on both sides
• The conversation is linked to a contact (contact variables need a linked contact to resolve)
• The variable you are using is available in the current context. For example, {{invoice_amount}} only resolves if the conversation is related to an invoice.

I cannot find my template in the picker

Make sure the template was saved successfully. Check the template management view to confirm it appears in the list. If it is there, try:

• Searching by name in the template picker
• Checking that you are looking in the correct category tab
• Refreshing the inbox page

A team member edited a template and it changed for everyone

Templates are shared resources. When any team member edits a template, the changes apply to all users. If your team needs individual variations, create separate templates with clear naming (for example, "Quote Follow-Up -- Commercial" and "Quote Follow-Up -- Residential").

FAQ

Can I create personal templates that only I can see?

Currently, all templates are shared across the team. This ensures consistency in customer communication. If you need personal quick text, you can use your operating system's text expansion tools for personal shortcuts.

How many templates can I create?

There is no strict limit on the number of templates. However, for usability, we recommend keeping your library focused on 20-40 well-organized templates rather than creating hundreds that become difficult to manage.

Can I import templates from another tool?

Template import is not currently available. You will need to recreate your templates in JobsiteOn. Start with your most-used templates and build the library over time.

Can I use HTML in templates?

The template editor uses rich text formatting, which handles common formatting needs like bold, lists, and links. You do not need to write raw HTML. The editor produces properly formatted emails that render well across email clients.

Related articles

• Compose and Send Your First Email
• Reply to Customer Conversations
• Set Up Your Company Email Address
• Search and Filter Conversations
• How Email Works in JobsiteOn