CRM Templates: Message Templates
Write an email once as a template — name, subject, and body with fill-in variables — then reuse it in every sequence step that needs it.
Templates are the wording library behind your follow-ups. A sequence step never holds its own email text — it points at a template in CRM → Templates. Write the message once here, and every sequence that uses it sends the same, consistent wording; fix a typo once and it is fixed everywhere.
Step 1: Create a template#
- Open CRM → Templates and click "+ New template".
- Give it a name your team will recognize in a picker list (required, up to 120 characters) — for example "First touch — warehouse intro".
- Write the subject line (up to 200 characters).
- Write the body in the "Body (HTML)" box. The body is HTML, so basic formatting tags such as paragraphs, bold, and links work as written.
- Click "Save". The template appears in the list as Active and can be picked by sequence steps right away.
The Templates list in CRM → Templates keeps the whole library on one page: name, subject, Active / Inactive status, and last updated time for every template, so you can spot duplicates and stale wording before they go out.
Step 2: Personalize with variables#
A template does not have to read like a broadcast. Drop a variable anywhere in the subject or body, and when the email is sent the system fills it in from that lead’s own record — the reader sees their name and company, not a placeholder.
| Variable | Filled in with |
|---|---|
| {{first_name}} | The contact’s first name |
| {{last_name}} | The contact’s last name |
| {{contact_name}} | The contact’s full name |
| {{company}} | The company name on the lead |
| {{email}} | The lead’s email address |
| {{phone}} | The lead’s phone number |
Step 3: Use the template in a sequence#
- Open CRM → Sequences and create a new sequence (or open the sequence you are building).
- Add an email step and choose this template in the step’s Template picker. Every email step must have a template — the sequence cannot be created without one.
- Set the step’s wait days, add the remaining steps, and create the sequence. From then on, enrolled leads receive this template’s wording at that point in the chain.
Because steps point at the template rather than copying it, one template can serve the first step of three different sequences at once. That is what makes CRM → Templates worth keeping tidy: it is the single place where your follow-up wording lives.
Step 4: Edit or retire a template#
- To edit: in CRM → Templates, click "Edit" on the row, change the name, subject, or body in the same dialog, and save. The list’s Updated time changes with it.
- To retire one: click "Deactivate" on an active template. It flips to Inactive instead of being deleted, so wording you may need again is not lost.
Docklify features used in this article#
- Template library: name, subject, status, and updated time in one list — CRM → Templates (/crm/templates)
- Template editor: name, subject, and HTML body in one dialog — CRM → Templates → New / Edit template
- Six fill-in variables ({{first_name}} to {{phone}}) for subjects and bodies — shown at the top of the template editor
- Template picker on each sequence email step — CRM → Sequences → New sequence (/crm/sequences/new)
- Deactivate instead of delete, so retired wording stays recoverable — CRM → Templates → Deactivate