Chats (Basic): Create & apply templates

Chat templates are useful for communications you regularly send to clients. They are also used in pipelines as automations to send automatic notifications to clients. They keep you from having to write the same messages from scratch over and over. This way, make it so you have them handy when you need them.

Covered here:

• Creating chat templates
• Adding default chat templates from our library
• Applying chat templates
• Editing chat templates
• Publishing chat templates to marketplace
• Duplicating chat templates
• Deleting chat templates
• Automating messages to client accounts

Creating chat templates

A chat template can be created by a firm owner, an admin or any employee with access rights to manage templates.

To create a chat template, go to Templates > Firm templates from the left menu bar, go to Chats, then click Create template.

Or access this page by adding the Send message automation while editing a pipeline, then clicking the New template button.

Below we explain the numbered sections in the Create Message Template window where you create message templates:

1. Name: Enter a name for the template—what you’ll see when you select the template.

2. From: Select the team member on whose behalf the message will be sent. This is the name the recipient will see as the sender, no matter who has moved the job to the next stage.

A team member can be selected here if:

• Тhey are assigned to the account, or
• Тhey have access rights to view all accounts

3. Subject: Enter a subject line; it will appear as the name of the communication in the recipient’s message list.

4. Add Shortcode: To individualize the message, apply shortcodes (dynamic data) to include, for example, the recipient's name, the account name or the date. Shortcodes are available for both the message title and body. Here's more on using shortcodes in TaxDome.

5. Body: Compose the message, using formatting, emojis, links and more.

6. Send reminders to clients: Toggle on if you want a reminder email to go out to the client when they don’t respond within a certain time frame or don't have their tasks completed. Learn more about reminders in chats.

7. Client tasks: Add client tasks. Tasks are displayed as a to-do list with checkboxes. Click Add task to add more to-do items. Once a task is completed, either you or the client can check it off. Here's more about managing client tasks.

8. Save & Exit, Save and Cancel: Click Save & Exit to save the template and go back to the templates list, Save to keep your changes and continue editing the template or Cancel to exit without saving.

Adding default chat templates from our library

We offer sample chat templates that you can easily edit. To add a chat template from our library:

1. Go to  Templates > Firm templates from the left menu bar, select the Chats tab, then click Copy from library.

2. Click the copy icon to the far right of the template you want to add. Edit the template by clicking on its name.

Applying chat templates

Once you've made a chat template, use it to speed up creating any new message. Here’s how:

1. Choose the option to create a new message:

• Click New on the top left, then select Chat.
• Click New Chat in the Communication section of an account profile.
• Select one or more recipients in your Accounts list, then select Send Message in the pull-down menu.

2. Click on the Template field, then select the template from the pull-down menu.

3. Edit the existing text or compose something new, then set up the message options.

Note! Changes you make to the message don’t alter the selected template.

Editing chat templates

To make changes to a chat template, follow these steps:

1. Go to Templates > Firm templates from the left menu bar, select Chats, then click on the name of the chat template.

2. Make changes to the chat template, then click Save & Exit.

Publishing chat templates to marketplace

You can publish your template in the marketplace if you think it will be useful to other community members. 

Attention! You won't see Publish to marketplace unless you've registered as a creator.

1. Go to  Templates > Firm templates from the left menu bar and select Chats. 

2. Click three dots to the far right of the chat template's name and select Publish to marketplace.

3. Сomplete the steps as instructed in the Creators hub article.

Duplicating chat templates

To create new chat templates based on existing ones: 

1. Go to  Templates > Firm templates from the left menu bar and select Chats. 

2. Click the three dots to the far right of the chat template's name and select  Duplicate. 

Deleting chat templates

To remove a chat template completely, go to Templates > Firm templates from the left menu bar, then open Chats. Click three dots to the far right of the chat template's name, select Delete, then confirm by clicking Delete in the Delete Confirmation pop-up.