What it is
Building a template is composing a message once so it can be sent a thousand times. You write the body with merge variables — a worker’s first name, a shift time, a site — that fill in per recipient, set a subject for email, and add language variants if you serve more than one region. A live preview renders the message against realistic sample data, so you see exactly what lands before anyone receives it.
This is where on-brand, accurate messaging is made. Every save mints a new version, and old versions can be restored, so you can edit boldly without fear of losing a wording that worked. Get a template right once and every campaign and trigger that uses it inherits that quality.
When to use it
- A common message gets sent often enough to be worth saving
- You want personalised messages without typing each one
- A wording needs updating and you want to keep the old version
- You serve more than one region and need language variants
How it works
Step by step.
- 1
Name it and pick a channel
Give the template a clear name and choose email or SMS. Email gets a subject line; SMS stays short and plain.
- 2
Write the body with variables
Compose the message and drop in merge variables for the details that change per person — first name, role, site, shift time. They resolve at send.
- 3
Add a subject for email
For email, write a subject that reads well on its own. SMS skips this — keep the body itself clear and short.
- 4
Preview against sample data
Watch the live preview render the message with a realistic sample recipient, so you see precisely what a real person receives.
- 5
Add language variants
If you serve more than one region, add a variant per language so each recipient gets the message in theirs.
- 6
Save a version
Save the template. Each save mints a new version and the previous ones stay restorable, so you can iterate without risk.
Worked example
Follow it through.
The scenario
You need a reusable shift-reminder SMS for Northwind Workforce.
- 1 Name it "Shift reminder", choose SMS.
- 2 Write: "Hi [first name], reminder you’re on [role] at [site], [shift time] tomorrow."
- 3 The live preview renders against sample data: "Hi Priya, reminder you’re on Care Worker at Brightwater Health, 07:00 tomorrow."
- 4 Add an English (NZ) variant with the same structure.
- 5 Save — version 1 is recorded.
The result
A clean shift-reminder template that personalises itself for every recipient, ready for any campaign or trigger to use.
Tips & notes
Good to know.
- Keep SMS short — every extra line costs and gets skimmed; lead with the one thing they must know.
- Always check the preview; a missing or misspelled variable shows up there before it ever reaches a recipient.
- Saving never overwrites the old wording — restore a previous version any time if an edit doesn’t work out.
- Write subjects that stand alone in a crowded inbox; "Your shift tomorrow" beats "Update".
When you’re done
A reusable, personalised, on-brand template that any campaign or trigger can send with confidence.