Communication Templates

Page Header: "Message Templates - Create and manage email and SMS templates for automated communications"

Customize automated messages sent by the system.

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Template Types

Six automatic template types are available:

Type	When It's Sent
Application Received	When someone submits an application
Application Approved	When you approve an application
Application Denied	When you deny an application
Admin Invitation	When inviting new administrators
Inquiry Notification	To organization admin email when new inquiries arrive
New User Account	When an admin creates a new user account

You can also create custom templates for other uses.

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Page Controls

Control	Description
Search	Find templates by name, subject, or body content
Filter by Type	Email or SMS
Filter by Status	Active or Inactive
Sort	By template name, type, or creation date
+ New Template	Create a new template

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Creating a Template

1. Go to Message Templates in the sidebar

2. Click + New Template

3. Fill in the form:

Field	Required	Description
Template Name	Yes	Internal identifier
Template Type	Yes	Email or SMS
Email Subject	If Email	Subject line for emails
Email Body	If Email	Email content (supports variables)
SMS Body	If SMS	Text message content (supports variables)
Active	No	Toggle to make this the default template

1. Click Save

When creating an automatic template type, the system pre-fills default content you can customize.

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Template Variables

Insert dynamic content using placeholders. Available variables depend on the template type:

Application Templates (Received, Approved, Denied)

Variable	Replaced With
{applicantName}	Person's full name
{shelterName}	Shelter name
{applicationId}	Application reference number
{submittedDate}	When the application was submitted
{updatedDate}	When the status changed (Approved/Denied only)
{organizationName}	Your organization name
{shelterPhone}	Shelter phone number

Inquiry Notification (Staff Alerts)

Variable	Replaced With
{applicantName}	Person's full name
{shelterName}	Shelter name
{applicationId}	Application reference number
{submittedDate}	When submitted
{priorityScore}	Calculated priority (0-9)
{circumstances}	Special circumstances
{householdSize}	Number of people
{housingStatus}	Current housing situation
{county}	Applicant's county
{applicantEmail}	Applicant's email
{applicantPhone}	Applicant's phone
{organizationName}	Your organization name
{organizationSlug}	Organization URL slug

Admin Invitation

Variable	Replaced With
{inviteeEmail}	Invited person's email
{organizationName}	Your organization name
{accessCode}	Their unique access code
{shelterNames}	Shelters they'll have access to
{expiresAt}	When the invitation expires

New User Account

Variable	Replaced With
{firstName}	User's first name
{lastName}	User's last name
{email}	User's email
{password}	Generated password
{organizationName}	Your organization name

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Template Table

Each template shows:

Column	Description
Type	Badge showing Email or SMS
Subject	Email subject line (if email)
Message Preview	Truncated preview of body content
Status	Active or Inactive badge
Created	When the template was created
Actions	Edit and Delete buttons

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Pagination

Results are paginated with 10 templates per page.