Email Templates: A Complete Breakdown

In VanillaSoft, emails can be sent through two primary methods, each offering different advantages depending on your needs and preferences. 

Email Sending Methods

1. VanillaSoft’s Web Email Form This method allows you to send emails directly using VanillaSoft’s mail server or a specified mail server such as your Gmail account. This is a convenient option for sending emails without leaving the VanillaSoft interface.

• VanillaSoft’s Mail Server: Send emails directly through VanillaSoft’s integrated mail server.

• Specified Mail Server: Configure VanillaSoft to use your own mail server, like a Gmail account, for sending emails.

2. Third-Party Desktop Email Application This method sends emails through desktop clients such as Microsoft Outlook. This option integrates with your existing email client, allowing you to use the familiar interface and features of your desktop email application.

• Microsoft Outlook: Use Outlook to send emails, benefiting from its extensive features and integration capabilities.

Related Article

For a deeper understanding of how emails are sent in VanillaSoft and to explore configuration options, refer to our Understanding How VanillaSoft Sends Emails article.

Managing email templates in VanillaSoft allows you to streamline your email communication by organizing templates, setting their status, and defining various parameters such as contact routing and email subject. 

Key Features of Managing Email Templates

1. Email Templates Category: Organize your email templates by assigning them to specific categories. This helps keep your templates structured and easy to find.

2. Status: Set the status of your email templates to make them available for use by Callers. Active templates can be used by your team, while inactive templates are hidden.

3. Contact Routing: Define how contacts are routed once an email is opened. This ensures that follow-up actions are handled efficiently.

4. CC/BCC: Add any CC (Carbon Copy) or BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) recipients to your email templates to include additional contacts automatically when emails are sent.

5. Subject: Specify the subject line for your email templates to ensure consistency and clarity in your email communications.

Related Articles

For more detailed information on organizing and optimizing your email templates, refer to these related articles:

• Organizing Email Templates with Categories
• Understanding and Using Contact Variables

Managing email templates in VanillaSoft is essential for maintaining organized, efficient, and effective email communications. By utilizing categories, setting statuses, defining contact routing, and specifying CC/BCC recipients and subjects, you can ensure your email templates are optimized for use by your team.

When creating an email template in VanillaSoft, the HTML Body section is where you will design and write your email content if "VanillaSoft’s Web Email Form" was selected in the Email Sending Method section.

Customizing Your Email

In the HTML Body section, you have the flexibility to format your email content in various ways:

• Font and Alignment: Adjust the font style, size, and alignment to match your desired look.

• Hyperlinks: Add hyperlinks to direct recipients to relevant web pages.

• Images: Insert images to make your email visually appealing. For more details, refer to our How to Add Images to Email Templates and Call Scripts article.

• Videos: Embed videos using Vidyard to enhance engagement. See our Vidyard GoVideo Integration article for instructions.

• Unsubscribe Option: Ensure your email includes an unsubscribe option to comply with email marketing regulations. Refer to our Add an Unsubscribe Link to Email Templates article for guidance.

• Contact Variables: Personalize your email by adding contact variables. For more information, check out our Understanding and Using Contact Variables article.

Steps to Create an Email Template

1. Access HTML Body Section: Navigate to the HTML Body section where you will be typing your email template.

2. Format Your Email: Change the font, alignment, and add any necessary hyperlinks, images, or videos.

3. Add Contact Variables: Personalize the email by inserting contact variables where appropriate.

4. Include Unsubscribe Option: Add an unsubscribe link to comply with regulations.

5. Test Your Email: Once your template is complete, send a test email to yourself to see how it looks. Refer to our Test an Email Template before Use article for more information.

6. Save and Use: After testing and making any necessary adjustments, save your template and make it live for use.

Related Articles

• How to Add Images to Email Templates and Call Scripts
• Understanding and Using Contact Variables
• Add an Unsubscribe Link to Email Templates
• Test an Email Template before Use
• Vidyard GoVideo Integration

When using "Desktop Email Application" as the Email Sending Method in VanillaSoft, you will create your email template in the Plain Text Body section. This section allows only plain text formatting and has a character limit of 1,000. 

Customizing the Plain Text Body Section

In the Plain Text Body section, you can type your email template with the following considerations:

• Plain Text Format: You are limited to plain text format without any special formatting options.

• Character Limit: Ensure your email content does not exceed 1,000 characters.

• Unsubscribe Option: Include an unsubscribe link to comply with email marketing regulations. Refer to our Add an Unsubscribe Link to Email Templates article for guidance.

• Contact Variables: Personalize your email by adding contact variables. For more information, see our Understanding and Using Contact Variables article.

Steps to Create a Plain Text Email Template

1. Access Plain Text Body Section: Navigate to the Plain Text Body section where you will type your email template.

2. Type Your Email Content: Write your email content, keeping in mind the 1,000-character limit.

3. Add Contact Variables: Personalize the email by inserting contact variables where appropriate.

4. Include Unsubscribe Option: Add an unsubscribe link to ensure compliance with regulations.

5. Save Your Template: Once your template is complete, save it and make it live for use when ready.

Related Articles

• Add an Unsubscribe Link to Email Templates
• Understanding and Using Contact Variables

Attaching files to your email templates in VanillaSoft can enhance your communication by providing recipients with additional information or resources. Using the Email Attachments section of the email template is only available when using the "VanillaSoft’s Web Email Form" method. To attach files using the the "Desktop Email Application" sending method, follow the steps listed in the How to Attach Files to Email Templates article.

Attaching Files Using VanillaSoft’s Web Email Form

When using the "VanillaSoft’s Web Email Form" sending method, you can attach files to your email templates through the Email Attachments section. Follow these steps to attach files:

1. Select Project: From the Admin homepage, select the project where you want to create or edit the email template.

2. Access Email Templates: Open the Email, SMS & Docs menu and select Email Templates.

3. Choose or Create a Template: Select an existing template or create a new one.

4. Open Email Attachments Section: In the template editor, go to the Email Attachments section.

5. Attach Files: Select the files you want to attach from your Documents Library. If your file is not located in your Documents Library, refer to the How to Add Files to Your VanillaSoft Document Library article before moving on to the next step.

6. Save the Template: Once you have attached the necessary files, save your email template.

Related Articles

For more detailed information on managing files and attachments, refer to the following articles:

• How to Attach Files to Email Templates
• How to Add Files to Your VanillaSoft Document Library

Custom email headers can help prevent your sent emails from being marked as spam, especially if the recipient has configured special exceptions on their server.

What Are Custom Email Headers?

Email headers contain specific information that helps email servers process and deliver emails. While the email header is not visible to the recipient unless they view the email header (often called "open original email"), it can include crucial information that instructs the receiving server to accept the email and not classify it as spam.

Benefits of Using Custom Email Headers

• Avoid Spam Filters: Custom headers can include information that tells the receiving server to trust the email, reducing the chances of it being marked as spam.

• Server Configuration: The recipient's server must be configured to recognize and act on the custom headers for this method to be effective.

How to Add Custom Email Headers

1. Select Project: From the Admin homepage, select the desired project where you want to configure the email template.

2. Access Email Templates: Open the Email, SMS & Docs menu and select Email Templates.

3. Choose or Create a Template: Select an existing template or create a new one.

4. Open Header Section: Click the "Insert Email Headers (Advanced)" option at the bottom of the page to display the email header section.

5. Enter Header Name: In the custom email header section, enter the desired name in the Name field. This helps identify the information entered next.

6. Enter Header Value: Enter the value for the header. This is what will be added to the email header and used by the recipient's server for filtering to allow the email to reach their inbox. You can use a contact variable or manually enter text as needed.

7. Add Email Header: Click the Add Email Header button to add the custom header.

8. Repeat as Necessary: Repeat the process for as many headers as needed.

Important Considerations

• Configuration: The effectiveness of custom headers relies heavily on the configuration of the recipient's server. Both sender and recipient need to ensure that their servers are set up correctly.

• Visibility: Custom headers are not visible in the regular view of an email; they are only visible when the recipient views the email headers.

Related Article

For more information on how to personalize your emails using contact variables, refer to our Understanding and Using Contact Variables article.