SMS Templates

You can create and save SMS Campaign Templates, so you don't have to compose messages from scratch every time you launch a messaging campaign, especially if these campaigns are relatively similar.

To view available SMS Templates:

From the navigation menu, go to Campaigns > Smart Messaging > Templates and select the SMS template tab

An SMS Template is composed of the following elements:

Template Name: the name you assign to the template for easier management
Content: the actual text message of the campaign
Dynamic Content: the content variables that are readily available in CINNOX, such as first and last names, web links, and phone numbers
Custom Variables: the content variables you can add as dynamic content to further personalise your campaign message

Creating a New SMS Template

To create an SMS template from scratch:

On the Templates - SMS Template tab, click the Create Template button at the top of the page.

On the Create New Template page, fill out the Template Name.
On the Content text box, type in your message. You can type up to 1000 characters for the message content.

You may insert an existing template by clicking the Insert button at the bottom of the page.

To add variables to your message, click the suggested buttons under Dynamic Content or Custom Variables.
- Clicking on the Weblink or Number suggested variables opens a pop-up window where you can select a web link or phone number to add to your message content. You may switch between the two by clicking on their respective tabs at the top of the pop-up window.

Click on Create.

Creating Custom Variables

To create custom variables that you can add to an SMS template:

Click on the More icon under the Content box and beside the Dynamic Content variables.

On the callout window, type the name you wish to assign to the variable you wish to add, then click Add. The new variable will now appear in the list of available Custom Variables.

Importing Templates

To import a template or bulk templates:

Click Bulk Import on the Templates page at the top-right corner.

On the Import Template pop-up window that will appear, click on the CSV or XLSX sample file to download a spreadsheet template.

Open the spreadsheet template, which should contain two columns, and remove the sample first record.
Add the Template Name and Template Content in their respective columns for your SMS campaign templates.
- You can add custom variables in the Template Content by enclosing them in double brackets (e.g., [[variable]]).

Add as many records in the spreadsheet as long as the file size does not exceed 5MB.
Once all columns are ready, please save the file and upload it in CINNOX by dragging and dropping it on the designated box in the pop-up window.
- You may also upload the file by clicking Browse and selecting it from its location.
  The uploaded templates should now appear on the Templates page.

How to handle the case of the splitting text in the CSV file

Using a comma (,) to split the text is the function of the CSV file. When importing the CSV file with the comma between texts, the text will be split into the next column in the file after the file upload.

Splitting text in the CSV file

For example, when you enter Thanks for signing up! Please join our club, and stay tuned for our news updates. into the column Template Content, the file is shown below:

After the file upload, the text is shown below:

As the text Thanks for signing up! Please join our club, and stay tuned for our news updates. contains a comma in the Template Content. After the filled CSV file is uploaded, the text is split into two columns. Thanks for signing up! Please join our club in the Template Content and and stay tuned for our news update. in the other column.

How to avoid splitting text

Using a text editor

Put the text with a comma in the double quote (""), like "Please join our club, and stay tuned for our news update." and save it as a CSV file when you upload the file.

Using Excel or Style Sheet editors

Fill in the text in the text format.

Save the sheet as a CSV file and upload it to the CINNOX.

The double quote should be added automatically to the file.

Editing Templates

To edit the content or details of an SMS template:

From the navigation menu, go to Campaigns > Smart Messaging > Templates.
On the SMS Template tab, find the template from which you want to create a campaign, then click on the More icon on the right.
Click on Edit Template.

Make the necessary changes and updates on the Edit Template page, then click Save.

Duplicating Templates

To duplicate or clone an existing SMS template:

Find the template you wish to duplicate on the Templates page, then click the vertical ellipsis icon More icon on the right.
Click on Duplicate Template. This opens the Create New Template page, with the Template Name field automatically filled out as Copy of [Name of Original Template]

Make the necessary template changes and updates, then click Create.

Deleting Templates

To delete an SMS template:

From the navigation menu, go to Campaigns > Smart Messaging > Templates.
On the SMS Template tab, find the template you wish to delete, then click on the vertical ellipsis icon More icon on the right.
Click on Delete Template. A pop-up message will appear, asking you to confirm the action.

Click on Delete.

To delete multiple SMS templates:

From the navigation menu, go to Campaigns > Smart Messaging > Templates.
On the SMS Templates tab, find the templates you wish to delete, then tick the checkboxes beside their names.
Click on Delete Selected at the top of the page. A pop-up message will appear, asking you to confirm the action.

Click on Delete.

Managing SMS Templates with Campaigns

Because templates directly relate to broadcast campaigns, you can launch a campaign directly from the Templates page or save a campaign message as a template.

Creating a Campaign from the SMS Templates

To launch a messaging campaign using a template from the SMS Templates :

From the navigation menu, go to Campaigns > Smart Messaging > Templates.
On the SMS Template tab, find the template you want to create a campaign, then click the More icon on the right.
Click on Create Campaign. This will redirect you to the Create Campaign page.

Saving a Campaign Message as an SMS Template

When Creating an SMS Dynamic Campaign, you can save the message content you are creating as a template:

After writing the content, click on Save as Template at the bottom of the Content box.
On the callout window, type the name you wish to save the template and click on Add.