Creating and Using Letter Templates
Are you sending the same message repeatedly? Manually typing or copying emails wastes time and risks inconsistencies. With Letter Templates in BIGContacts, you can create pre-written, reusable messages for consistent, professional communication across your team.
Whether you send follow-ups, appointment confirmations, or personalized outreach, letter templates ensure your team delivers a unified message while saving time.
This guide covers:
- How to create a letter template
- Best practices for pasting text into templates
- How and why to use merge fields for personalization
How to Create a Letter Template
- Click on Admin in the left navigation menu.
- Under Manage Templates, select Letter Templates.
- Click the Add New Letter Template button.
- Fill in the Name, Description, and Body fields.
- Click Add Letter Template to save your template.
Your saved templates will now be available for quick selection when composing messages.
Best Practices for Pasting Text into Templates
Proper formatting matters when copying content from an external source like a Word document. Copying directly can introduce hidden formatting issues that may look fine in the editor but cause display problems when sent.
How to paste text correctly:
- Use the paste options in the BIGContacts editor instead of pasting directly.
- If copying from Microsoft Word, use the Paste from Word button to maintain clean formatting.
- For the best results, paste the plain text first, then format it using the editor.
Using Merge Fields for Personalization
Want each email to feel personal without manual effort? Merge fields automatically pull contact-specific details—like names, addresses, and phone numbers—into your templates.
Instead of writing:
Dear Customer,
You can use a merge field:
Dear {{first_name}},
When sent, it will automatically insert the contact’s actual name, making emails feel more personal and professional.
Standard Merge Fields in BIGContacts
Merge fields pull information from your contact records. To use them, insert double brackets around the field name (e.g., {{first_name}}).
Personal Information Merge Fields:
| Field Name | Merge Value |
|---|---|
| First Name | {{first_name}} |
| Last Name | {{last_name}} |
| Address | {{home_address}} |
| City | {{home_city}} |
| State | {{home_state}} |
| Postal Code | {{home_postal_code}} |
| Phone | {{phone}} |
Business Information Merge Fields:
| Field Name | Merge Value |
|---|---|
| Business Name | {{business_name}} |
| Business Address | {{business_address}} |
| City | {{business_city}} |
| State | {{business_state}} |
| Postal Code | {{business_postal_code}} |
When an email is sent, these placeholders are replaced with the recipient's actual information.
Custom Merge Fields
Need to insert unique data not covered by standard fields? BIGContacts allows custom merge fields for specialized business needs.
How to find your custom merge field values:
- Click on Admin.
- Under Manage My Account, select Customize Account.
- Click the Custom Fields tab.
- Use the exact field name from this section when adding merge fields to your template.
Example of a Custom Merge Field in Use:
If you've created a custom field called "VIP Status," you can use {{VIP_Status}} in your template. When the email is sent, it will populate with each contact’s actual VIP level.
Why Use Merge Fields?
Merge fields allow you to automatically pull information from contact records into your emails, saving time and ensuring every message is accurate and personalized. But why does this matter?
- Faster Communication – Instead of manually entering names or details, merge fields and instantly insert them, making bulk emails feel one-on-one.
- Consistency & Accuracy – Reduce human errors and keep customer data uniform across all communications.
- Better Engagement – Emails that address contacts by name or reference their business are more likely to be opened and read.
- Scalability Without Losing Personalization – Whether you're sending five emails or 500, each includes the correct details automatically.
Using merge fields ensures that no matter how many emails you send, they always feel relevant—without extra effort.