Transcript of Video
You can speed up the process of creating e-mail messages by using e-mail templates in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. A typical e-mail template contains boilerplate text to eliminate repetitive typing and data fields to personalize the message with customer information.
In this video, you'll create an e-mail template for checking in with contacts, use the template in an e-mail message, use the template to send e-mail to multiple contacts with direct e-mail, and then make the template available to everyone in your organization.
On the Actions toolbar, click the Tools menu and Options. Then click the E-Mail Templates tab and click New. Select the type of record or entity this template will be used with. A Global template can be used with any record, but we'll create a template for a specific record: Contact.
Type a title for the template. Add a description of the template if you want, and type a subject for your e-mail message. Text and data fields can be added to the message body in any order, but it's easier to type your text first.
Use the formatting toolbar to format text. Press SHIFT and ENTER for a one-line space. Type a URL with the correct form and it will automatically be converted to a hyperlink when the template is sent.
Now, add the data field for the recipient's first name here. On the Actions toolbar, click Insert/Update. Click Add. To use data fields from Contact records, select Contact. Click Field and locate First Name. Then click OK. In the same way, insert the contact business phone, mobile phone, and the user first name.
To add an image to the template, right-click an image on a Web page, such as your organization's product page, and click Copy. Then click where you want the image in your template, and click Paste. The template contains a link to the image, not the actual image, so make sure to only use images that your readers have permissions to access and will be available. When you've finished, click Save and Close and the template is added to the list of your personal e-mail templates.
Now, try creating an e-mail that uses the template. Open a contact. Then on the Actions toolbar, click Send E-mail. On the toolbar, click Insert Template. Then, under Contact Templates, select "Customer check-in" and click OK.
All of the data fields are filled in and the e-mail is ready to go. In addition, you can use multiple templates in the same e-mail. In this case, select the signature, and replace it with your signature e-mail template. Click Cancel so the signature template doesn't override the current subject line.
It's just as easy to use e-mail templates to send e-mail to more than one contact. Hold down the CTRL key and select multiple contacts. Then, on the Actions toolbar, click the Send Direct E-mail button. Under Contact Templates, select "Customer check-in." You can use only one template with direct e-mail. Send the e-mail to the selected records on the current page from this user. Finally, click Send.
Your template is available to use anytime you send e-mail to a contact. But you can also make the template available to anyone in your organization, if you have the right permissions. In the Navigation Pane, click Settings, click Templates, and then click E-Mail Templates.
The "Customer check-in" template is currently usable only by the person who created it. Open the template, and then on the Actions toolbar, click Actions, and Make Template Available to Organization. If you change your mind, you can click Revert to Personal Template. Click Save and Close.
You can use e-mail templates with e-mail messages for nearly any record in Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Now, your new template can make life a little easier for everyone in your organization.
