Communications: SMS and Email Templates, Follow-Ups, and Delivery Troubleshooting

Communications: Templates, Follow-Ups & Delivery

The Communications module lets you design reusable message templates, send targeted SMS and email campaigns to leads or clients, and diagnose delivery issues when messages do not reach their recipients. Consistent, timely communications improve lead conversion rates and client retention.

1. Setting Up Communication Templates

Templates are the foundation of consistent communications. Well-crafted templates reduce sending time, enforce brand voice, and ensure personalisation through dynamic placeholders.

1. Navigate to Communications > Templates (or Setup > Email Templates / SMS Templates depending on your system layout). Click New Template.
2. Name and categorise the template: Give the template a clear, searchable name (e.g. "Lead: Initial Enquiry Response - SMS" or "Invoice: Payment Reminder 7 Days"). Assign it to the correct category (Lead, Appointment, Invoice, General) for easy filtering.
3. Write the message content: Keep SMS messages concise (under 160 characters to avoid multi-part charges). For emails, write a clear subject line and a body that gets to the point quickly. Use a professional but approachable tone consistent with your brand.
4. Insert placeholder variables: Use the available merge tag options to personalise messages — common placeholders include {client_name}, {appointment_date}, {invoice_amount}, {payment_link}, {staff_name}. Always preview the template with sample data to confirm placeholders resolve correctly.
5. Set channel: Mark whether the template is for SMS, email, or both. Some templates may have parallel versions for each channel.
6. Save and review: Save the template and send a test message to your own phone/email to verify formatting and placeholder resolution before using it in a live campaign.

2. Sending Follow-Up Communications

Follow-up communications keep your leads engaged and your clients informed at key stages — after an inquiry, before an appointment, after a payment, or when an invoice is overdue.

1. Select your target audience: Navigate to Communications > Campaigns or use the quick-send feature from within a lead or client profile. For bulk campaigns, use the audience filter to select by status, lead source, date range, assigned owner, or tag.
2. Choose the channel: Select SMS Campaign or Email Campaign. Choose the channel best suited to the message urgency and client preference. SMS achieves higher open rates for time-sensitive messages; email is better for detailed content or attachments.
3. Select the approved template: Browse the template library and select the relevant pre-approved template. Do not send custom unreviewed messages to large audiences — always use an approved template for bulk sends.
4. Personalise and preview: Review the preview panel showing how the message will appear for a sample record. Confirm all merge tags are resolving correctly before proceeding.
5. Schedule or send immediately: Choose Send Now for immediate dispatch, or select Schedule to specify a future date and time. Scheduling is recommended for communications tied to follow-up dates or appointment reminders to ensure delivery at the right time.
6. Review delivery logs: After sending, navigate to Communications > Logs to review per-recipient status — Delivered, Failed, Bounced, or Pending. Export logs for records or client-facing confirmation if required.

3. Diagnosing Delivery Issues

When communications are not reaching recipients, a structured diagnostic approach helps identify the root cause quickly without frustrating clients further.

1. Check gateway credentials: Navigate to Setup > Email Settings (for SMTP) or Setup > SMS Settings and use the built-in Send Test button to verify the gateway connection. Any authentication error will appear here immediately.
2. Review the delivery log: Open the failed message in the Communications log. The error code or reason field often indicates the issue — common causes include Authentication Failure, Invalid Recipient, Rate Limit Exceeded, and Spam Policy Block.
3. Verify contact data quality: Check the recipient's profile. Ensure the email address is syntactically valid (no spaces, correct domain) and the phone number is in international E.164 format (e.g. +447xxxxxxxxx for UK numbers).
4. Check spam and domain reputation: For email deliverability issues, verify that your sending domain has SPF, DKIM, and DMARC DNS records configured. Poor domain reputation causes messages to land in spam or be rejected by the recipient's mail server.
5. Retry with corrected settings: After resolving the identified issue, retry the failed send from the Communications log using the Retry or Resend action. Do not create a duplicate send — use the retry function on the original log entry.

Common Issues

Related Articles

• Leads: Create, Follow Up & Convert
• Appointments: Availability & Booking
• Workflow: SMS & Email Communications Campaign
• Admin Settings: Gateways & Automation