Creating SMS Templates

Nick Jones

Modified on: Wed, 18 May, 2022 at 11:05 AM

VETtrak allows you to set up templates for your emails. This feature can be useful if:

You regularly send out similar SMS.
You want to automatically include certain information in your messages without looking it up.

Merge templates are set up in the Configuration Manager, which can be opened by choosing Manage > Configuration from the menus:

Select the Context for your SMS message. This will determine what merge fields are available to insert into your message and where the template is available for use.
Enter a Name to identify the template.
Optionally, enter a Code for the template.
Optionally, select a Template Category if you wish to add this to a group of Templates.
Optionally, enter Notes about the template. This might include instructions for use, or when and why it was last updated.

Now you can being entering the message:

Enter your message into the Template body field, keeping in mind that the length of the message will determine the number of SMS credits used when sending this template SMS.
The Field List (for type and context) shows the available merge fields. Double-click a merge field to add it into your message at the current cursor position.

These merge fields will make use of the data within your VETtrak to populate the template based off the corresponding data you have entered.

A basic example would be the following template, addressed to a student using Merge Fields that correspond to entered Client Information within VETrak:

At the time of sending the SMS, this will then be interpreted like so:

NOTE: A Merge field that has no corresponding data within VETtrak will display as blank within the Template at the time of generation.

Once you are satisfied with the content and appearance of your message:

When you send an SMS from the applicable context, you will be prompted to choose between composing an SMS manually and using a template.