Creating and Managing Contact Templates
Create reusable templates for email, text, and on-site messages to streamline communication and personalize lead outreach.
Why This Feature Matters
Contact Templates help you:
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Eliminate repetitive typing by saving commonly used messages
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Ensure consistency across your team’s communication
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Personalize emails and texts using merge fields (Global Variables)
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Customize outreach for different roles like Buyer’s Agents, Listing Agents, and Lenders
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Who Can Access Contact Templates
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Primary Manager and Manager-level users can access templates by default
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To give a Manager-level user access:
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Go to the Users section
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Click on the user’s name
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Scroll to Global Account Permissions
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Set “Can Update Contact Templates, Drip Campaigns and Action Plans” to Yes
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Click Save
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2. Navigate to the Template Manager
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Click the Gear icon in the top right of your CRM
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Select Contact Templates
3. Create a New Template
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Click Create New Template
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Select a Template Access Level:
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Global: Visible to all users in the account (recommended)
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Personal: Visible only to the creator
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Choose a Template Type:
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Email
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Text Message
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Message Overlay (on-site message shown in a browser overlay when a lead returns to your site)
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4. Define Template Usage
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Assign the template to one of the following user roles:
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Buyer’s Agents
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Listing Agents
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Lenders
Why role-specific? Merge fields like agent name or signature must pull from the right agent profile.
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5. Set Template Availability
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Choose where the template can be used:
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Manual Emails
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Drip Campaigns
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Action Plans
You can select one or more and change this later.
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6. Name and Write Your Template
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Enter a Template Name (for internal use only)
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Add a Subject (if it’s an email)
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Write your message content
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Insert Merge Fields by placing your cursor and clicking the Merge Fields button to auto-fill lead/agent details like:
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{lead_first_name}
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{agent_first_name}
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{agent_signature}
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{time_of_day}
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{season}
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{site_name}
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7. Save the Template
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Click Save
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Your template will now appear in the dropdown menus when sending messages or creating campaigns
8. Special Note on Text Templates
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A character counter appears for text message templates
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Messages longer than 160 characters will be split into multiple messages but delivered as one thread
Best Practices
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Use descriptive template names so your team can easily identify them
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Keep content concise and conversational, especially for texts
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Preview messages before saving to check formatting and variable accuracy
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Use Global templates when standardizing outreach across your team
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Issue: User can’t see or edit templates
Solution: Make sure the user has permission enabled in Global Account Permissions
Issue: Merge fields aren’t populating
Solution: Check for correct variable syntax and ensure message is sent in context with lead and agent data
FAQs
Q: Can I use the same template for emails, texts, and overlays?
A: No. You’ll need to create a separate template for each type.
Q: What’s the difference between Global and Personal templates?
A: Global templates are shared with all users; Personal templates are visible only to the creator.
Q: Can I edit a template later?
A: Yes. Go to the Contact Templates manager and click the pencil icon to edit or the red X to delete.