Create and use email templates

As a venue manager, you write messages every week that look very much alike from one client to the next: a first reply to an enquiry, a follow-up when a prospect goes quiet, sending a quote, a thank-you after the event. Retyping these messages each time costs time and introduces unintended variations in tone and quality. Email templates solve exactly this problem: they let you save a message once and reuse it later, instead of rewriting everything.

A template is not a fixed message: it is a starting point you insert and then adjust before sending. Used well, it speeds up your replies, harmonises the whole team's tone and combines naturally with Joinways' AI email assistant.

Prerequisites

To make the most of templates, a few conditions make daily use easier.

• An email account connected to Joinways, so you can reply directly from the app.
• A clear idea of the messages you repeat most often, to know which ones deserve a template.
• To combine templates and AI: the assistant sits in the composer of an event's « Conversations » tab (« Write with AI » button); it isn't offered in Inquiries.

What you'll learn

• Save a template for the messages you send most often
• Insert a template from Inquiries or from an event
• Combine templates with the AI email assistant
• Pick the right template for each step of the sales exchange

Save a template

Start with the messages you repeat the most. A few good templates are enough to cover most of your exchanges. There is no need to create dozens: a small, well-kept set you maintain is better.

1. Identify a message you write regularly, such as your first reply to an enquiry.
2. Write the reference version, clear and ready to send.
3. In « Settings » > « Email templates », click « Create template »: give it a name, a « Category » (Info request, Follow-up, Proposal, Confirmation, Reminder, Rejection, Custom…), a subject and a body. Templates are shared with the whole team.

Use the « Available variables » rather than typing a name or a date: {{contact_name}}, {{company_name}}, {{event_title}}, {{event_date}}, {{quote_link}}… are filled in automatically on insertion, and a variable with no value is removed, it never reaches the client as is. In each category, one template can be marked « Default »: it's the one Joinways uses in Inquiries and when sending quotes and invoices. « Suggested templates » can be adapted with « Customize ».

Insert a template into a reply

A template is a starting point, not a fixed message. Two places use it. In Inquiries, the reply composer offers two pills: « Reply » loads your default « Info request » template, « Reject » your default « Rejection » template. In an event, « Conversations » tab, the « Template » field of a « New email » lets you pick any template.

1. Open the inquiry and click « Reply », or, in an event, open the « Conversations » tab then « New email ».
2. In Inquiries, choose the « Reply » or « Reject » pill; in an event, pick the template in « Select a template (optional) ».
3. Adjust the text for the client, then send.

Reference: the uses of a template

Templates cover the main steps of a sales exchange. Here are the most common uses, from first contact through to the post-event phase.

• First reply: acknowledge an incoming enquiry and start the conversation quickly.
• Follow-up: come back to a prospect who has gone quiet without starting from scratch.
• Quote send: accompany a quote with a clear, professional message.
• Thank-you: thank the client after the event and nurture the relationship.

In Inquiries, only your default « Info request » and « Rejection » templates are offered. All others (follow-up, confirmation, reminder, custom templates) are inserted from an event's « Conversations » tab; the default « Proposal » and « Invoice » templates are used when sending quotes and invoices.

How it works

A template is a text saved once and reusable at will. When you insert it into a reply, Joinways copies its content into the draft you are writing: it is not an automatic send, but a pre-fill.

So you always stay in control: you reread, personalise, then send. The template is never altered by your one-off adjustments; it remains available as-is for the next reply.

This is also what makes templates complementary to the AI email assistant: the AI produces a contextual draft, the template provides a proven frame, and you combine the two.

Edge cases

A few situations deserve a word of caution.

• A template that is too generic sounds impersonal: always leave a passage to adapt (first name, date, project detail).
• A first name typed into a template will go out to every client: use {{contact_name}} and reread before sending.
• Too many similar templates slow down the choice: prefer one clear template per step rather than a multitude of variants.

Templates pair well with the AI email assistant: in an event's « Conversations » tab, let the assistant draft a reply, then refine it using your template.

Best practices

• Create one template per key step: first reply, follow-up, quote, thank-you.
• Reread and adjust each template before sending so it stays personal.
• Keep a small set of well-crafted templates for a consistent team.
• Update your templates when your offer or your signature changes.

Troubleshooting

Problem: the inserted message contains a hard-typed name, or an incomplete sentence. Cause: the template contains a name typed by hand, or a variable the context can't fill (for example {{quote_link}} outside a quote send). Solution: replace typed names with variables such as {{contact_name}}, and reread before sending.

Problem: I never know which template to choose. Cause: your templates are too similar. Solution: reduce them to one template per step (first reply, follow-up, quote, thank-you).

Problem: the message sounds too impersonal. Cause: the template was left as-is. Solution: add one or two sentences specific to the client's project, or let the AI email assistant personalise the opening.

Real-world example

You receive wedding inquiries every week. Your « Info request » template is marked « Default »: in the inquiry, the « Reply » pill loads it with the client's first name already filled in. You add a sentence about their project, then send. The client gets a fast, polished reply, and the whole team answers the same way.

A few days later, a prospect converted into a hold stops replying: in the event's « Conversations » tab, you open a « New email », pick the follow-up template, adjust a sentence, and the conversation picks up effortlessly.

Another example

An event's quote is ready. You click « Send » from the quote: Joinways loads your default « Proposal » template, which sets the tone, recaps the next steps and already contains the quote link thanks to {{quote_link}}. The client receives a complete message without you having written everything.

After the event, you close the exchange with the thank-you template, slipping in a real detail from the evening to nurture the relationship.

FAQ

Can I edit a template before sending it? Yes. The template is a starting point: you adjust it freely before sending.

Do templates work with the AI email assistant? Yes. The assistant drafts a reply you can refine, and your templates complement this approach perfectly.

Where can I insert a template from? From Inquiries, through the « Reply » and « Reject » pills (default templates); from an event's « Conversations » tab, any template through « New email ».

How many templates should I create? Few: one per key step (first reply, follow-up, quote, thank-you) covers most needs.

Does inserting a template send it automatically? No. Inserting pre-fills the draft; you reread and send it yourself.

Do templates ensure a consistent team message? Yes: a small set of well-crafted templates ensures everyone replies the same way.

Which messages deserve a template? The ones you repeat most: first reply, follow-up, quote send, thank-you.

See also

• Reply faster with the AI email assistant
• Manage an event's emails
• Handle an incoming enquiry