Communications covers every message your business sends to customers from Commusoft, by email, SMS or letter. From visit confirmations and on-the-way texts to invoices and service reminders, messages can be sent manually from a record or automatically when something happens. Getting communications right keeps customers informed, cuts down on chase-up calls and no-access visits, and makes every message look like it came from your business.
Template, trigger and channel
Every customer message is made up of three separate parts. Most questions about communications come down to knowing which part needs changing.
Template, what is said: the wording of the message, with tags that fill in details like the customer's name or appointment date. Email, SMS and letter templates are kept in libraries in your Communications settings, organized in folders, so the same wording can be reused across jobs, estimates, contracts, proposals, service reminders and more.
Trigger, what sends it: the action or event that sends the message. Some messages are sent manually, such as an email or SMS from a customer's Communications tab using a template. Others are sent automatically by a feature's own setting, such as a customer visit confirmation, or an on-the-way SMS when the technician taps Travel on the appointment.
Channel, how it arrives: email, SMS or letter. Each channel has its own setup, such as the address emails come from or the sender name on texts, and that setup applies to every message sent on it.
Keeping these apart makes troubleshooting simpler. Changing a template changes what is said, not when it's sent. To change when or whether a message goes out, look at the setting for the feature that sends it. Not every automatic message uses the template library: some, like the job on our way SMS, have their wording written directly in the feature's own setting.
Choosing a channel
Each channel suits a different kind of message and needs its own setup before it works at its best.
Channel | Best for | What it needs |
Detailed messages, attachments such as invoices and certificates, and portal links with your own link text. | Works straight away from the default [email protected] address, with replies sent to your reply-to address. Connecting your own email or domain improves branding and deliverability. One global email signature is added to every email. | |
SMS | Short, time-sensitive updates such as appointment reminders and on-the-way messages. | The optional, chargeable SMS add-on, paid for with credits. Each credit covers up to 160 characters. An SMS name so customers recognize who the text is from. |
Letter | Correspondence for the Contracts feature. | Letter templates hold the body text only. The page layout comes from your company details and letterhead settings. |
Keeping messages personal and on record
A few things apply across every channel and help your messages stay accurate and traceable.
Tags: placeholders such as [customer_name] are replaced with real data when the message is sent. A tag only fills in when the message is sent from a record that holds that data, so an invoice tag used in a message from the customer timeline stays as plain text.
Communications timeline: the Communications tab on a customer or work address gives a full view of your interactions with that contact, which you can filter by type, user and where the communication came from.
BCC copies: a BCC address keeps a copy of every email the system sends, including automated ones, so you have a complete log in your own inbox.
Where to go next
We have broken down the communications articles by topic.
Templates
Email connection and delivery
SMS
Sending messages
Common questions
What is the difference between a template and an automatic message?
What is the difference between a template and an automatic message?
The difference between a template and an automatic message is that a template is only the wording, while an automatic message is a feature setting that decides when that wording is sent. Editing a template changes what customers read, not when they receive it. To change when a message goes out, or stop it, update the setting for the feature that sends it.
Why does a tag show as plain text, like [invoice_total], in my message?
Why does a tag show as plain text, like [invoice_total], in my message?
A tag shows as plain text when the message was sent from a record that doesn't hold that data. For example, [invoice_total] only fills in when the message is sent from an invoice. Send the message from the matching record, or use tags that suit where it's sent from. See How to use tags in communication templates for more.
Why can't I delete an email or SMS template?
Why can't I delete an email or SMS template?
You can't delete an email or SMS template once it's assigned to an automatic communication. Archive it instead, or unassign it from every setting that uses it first.
Why do my text messages show as sent from COMMUSOFT?
Why do my text messages show as sent from COMMUSOFT?
Text messages show as sent from COMMUSOFT when no SMS name has been set. Add an SMS name of 11 characters or fewer so customers recognize your business. See Set up your SMS name for more.
Can I send a mass email to all my customers?
Can I send a mass email to all my customers?
No, Commusoft doesn't have a built-in feature for mass emails or mail shots, and email providers set daily sending limits that bulk marketing can exceed. For marketing mail shots, use a dedicated marketing integration such as Mailchimp.