Mail Templates
- Dennis Mergemann (Unlicensed)
- Jennifer Huber (Unlicensed)
- Paul Kretek
When writing and sending e-mail, you will be working with ready-made mail templates for the most part. If, for example, you invite the participants of a personalized project in several waves, you will have to write the relevant mail template only once: You can then use it as often as you want. The contents of mails which are mailed out automatically (e.g. welcome mails upon panel registration) are usually defined via mail templates, as well.
The mail templates of an EFS installation are managed centrally in the Libraries → Mail templates menu.
New mail templates can be created in the Libraries → Mail templates menu. Additionally, you can save mails as templates during the mail dispatch process.
In EFS Panel installations, a particular set of mail templates is created for each language version.
There are different types of templates available for use in different work situations.
Which user teams may use or configure a particular mail template, is controlled via a corresponding object right for this template.
Which user teams may access or work in the Libraries → Mail templates menu, is controlled via the ACL right mail_admin.
Managing mail templates
In the Libraries → Mail templates menu, you will find an overview of all the mail templates for which you hold access rights along with their most important properties. You have the following editing options:
Create template button: The dialog for creating a new template will be opened. The other form fields for mail settings and mail text are familiar from the e-mail dispatch
Clickable links in the table and the familiar icons in the “Actions” column allow you to edit individual mail templates:
Description link: The dialog for editing an existing template will be opened.
Status link: The entries Active and Inactive in the “Status” column are also clickable links. You can change the status with a click on the respective link: An inactive mail template will no longer be offered in the mail forms.
Preview: The template will be opened in the preview, allowing the user to view the template at different widths and test it with different wildcards. Please note, that Javascript within the mail template will not be executed in the preview to simulate regular email clients.
Edit mail template: The dialog for editing an existing template will be opened.
Copy mail template: The template is copied. You can open the copy directly by clicking the link in the green confirmation message.
Edit rights: The dialog for assigning object rights for the template will be opened.
Delete mail template: The template will be deleted following a confirmation prompt.
Before deleting mail templates, please make sure that they are not linked to from a live project.
Properties of mail templates
Mail templates are characterized by the following properties, which are partly defined by the user and partly set automatically by the system.
Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
ID | Each mail template in an EFS installation can be identified by its own unique ID. |
Type | By assigning it to a particular type of mail template you define in which work situations the respective template is to be available. |
Description | Description of the template. This is only used internally for orientation in the admin area. |
Mail subject | The subject of the e-mail. |
Modifier user name | Name of the last user who edited the template. |
Status | The status indicates whether a mail template is available in the mail forms. Active templates are available, inactive ones are not. The status entry is a clickable link: You can change the status easily with one click. |
HTML format | If the template is an HTML mail, this will be indicated in the overview table. |
E-mail address | Selected sender's address |
Name of the sender | If a real name has been stored with the sender's address, it will be displayed in this field |
Only in EFS installations: Language version | The mail templates are assigned to a particular language version of the panel. |
Mail template types
When selecting mail templates via the EFS mail forms, only those templates will be available that are appropriate to your current operation. For example, if you are inviting participants, only templates for invitation mails will be offered for selection. This is controlled by assigning the templates to certain mail template types. The following table provides an overview of the various types and their respective application.
Mail template type | When it is used |
|---|---|
Default mail | Is available in all non-automated dispatch processes. |
Invitation mail | Used to invite participants to a survey project. |
Reminder mail | Used to remind participants of surveys they have not completed yet. |
Notification before end of survey | Used to notify users of the upcoming end of their survey.
|
Notification by exchange platform | Only on installations with EFS Secure Exchange activated: Mail template used to notify project staff of changes on the |
Org Processor mail | In employee surveys on EFS Employee installations only: Mail template that can be made available to users in the Org Processor. |
Welcome mail | Only in EFS Panel installations: Automatically sent to the panelist after the registration has been submitted.
|
Password recovery mail | Only in EFS Panel installations: If a panelist forgets their password, the content of this mail template will be sent automatically upon request.
|
Duplicates check mail | Only in EFS Panel installations: If the panel administrator performs the duplicates check and finds that this panelist apparently already exists, this mail template is used to contact the panelist via e-mail. |
Registration error mail | Only in EFS Panel installations: If the panel administrator checks the data in the Candidates menu and wishes to send an inquiry mail to the respective panelist, this mail template can be invoked via the ”Registration error” action. |
Master data invitation mail | Only in EFS Panel installations: This mail template is displayed when you are inviting a panelist from the Candidates menu to the master data survey. |
Master data reminder mail | Only in EFS Panel installations: This mail template is displayed when you are sending a reminder concerning the master data survey to a panelist from the Candidates menu. |
Winner mail | Only in EFS Panel installations: This mail template is displayed when you have conducted a prize draw and wish to inform the winners afterwards. |
Tell-a-friend mail | Only in EFS Panel installations: Panelists can use this mail template within the scope of a campaign to recruit new panelists. |
Voucher mail | Only in EFS Panel installations: This template is used to send vouchers to panelists. |
List-Unsubscribe Header
To improve the deliverability of your emails and give users the option to unsubscribe from automatic emails, you can use the List-Unsubscribe Header option. In that way, email templates can be provided with a link for unsubscribing.
Proceed as follows to set this up:
Expand the Advanced mail settings area in your mail template.
In the free text field next to List-Unsubscribe Header, insert a valid link to a website that participants can use to unsubscribe. You can also enter the following placeholders in the field:
#unsubscribe_survey#: Link in the email that deactivates further emails for this survey
#unsubscribe_global#: Link in the email that deactivates further emails for all communication
Click on Save to apply your changes.
Defining senders’ addresses for mail dispatch
By default, the mail sender "noreply@customervoice360.com" will be used for new mail templates. If you would like a different default mail sender for your installation, please contact our support team. You can also add your own mail senders in the Libraries area in order for you to be able to select those in the EFS mail form.
This function in brief:
The senders’ addresses are managed in the Libraries → Mail templates → Mail senders menu.
Optionally, it is possible to enter a real name to be inserted next to the actual email address in the mail subject header. Usually, this is the name of the project owner. Please note that it is not possible to use names in double-byte languages (e.g. Chinese).
Which user teams may use or configure a particular sender’s address, is controlled via a specific object right.
Which user teams may access the Mail senders menu, is controlled via read right for “options”.
Please note that EFS requires a SPF record when creating a mail sender with your domain. This is to ensure that your emails are properly authenticated and delivered to your participants. If your domain settings do not include our mail servers yet, you need to update your SPF record with the following include: include:_spf.tivian.com. Otherwise, you will get an error message when trying to add a mail sender with your domain under Libraries → Mail templates → Mail senders. If you cannot change the SPF record for your email domain, you still have the option of using the default sender address “Survey <noreply@customervoice360.com>”. Just create a new mail sender using the mentioned email address and enter the name of your company as a realname instead of "Survey", for example.
Managing Sender Addresses
In the Mail senders menu, you will find an overview of all those senders’ addresses for which you hold access rights. Click on the Add e-mail address button to open the dialog for creating a new sender. All you have to enter is the e-mail address, the corresponding real name, if desired, and the teams that are granted full access.
Clickable links and icons allow you to edit existing mail templates
Rights: Opens the dialog where you can assign read or write rights for the sender’s address to user teams.
Delete: E-mail addresses can be deleted by ticking the checkbox in the “Delete” column and then clicking on the Delete button.
Mail senders linked to a mail template cannot be inadvertently deleted. If you try to delete mail senders that are still linked to a mail template, a list of the affected templates will be displayed. Only after the sender’s address has been changed in all templates is it possible to delete the address.
You need options ACL read rights to access the Mail senders menu and the functions described below.
List-Unsubscribe Header
Another way to reduce the likelihood of your emails ending up in the spam folder is the List-Unsubscribe Header option. You can add a link in Email templates that participants can use to unsubscribe from automatic emails.
Proceed as follows to set this up:
Expand the Advanced mail settings area in your mail template.
In the free text field next to List-Unsubscribe Header, insert a valid link to a website that participants can use to unsubscribe. You can also enter the following placeholders in the field:
#unsubscribe_survey#: Link in the email that deactivates further emails for this survey
#unsubscribe_global#: Link in the email that deactivates further emails for all communication
Click on Save to apply your changes.
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