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Create and manage templates

Build reusable notifications in advance so that during a real event you can send in seconds instead of composing from scratch.

Written by Phil Wheaton

Create and manage templates

A template is a notification you build ahead of time — message, channels, contacts, and call settings all saved — so during a real event you launch it in seconds instead of composing under pressure. Templates live in the Template Management section of the dashboard.

A template holds everything a notification does except a send time: scheduling is disabled while you build one, and you set the timing when you launch a notification from the template. A template on its own does not send anything.

Build a template

Creating a template is the same as creating a notification, minus sending and scheduling. So rather than repeat it here, compose and configure using the two core articles:

  1. Click Create Template (web, left-hand side) or the + symbol (mobile).

  2. Enter a name at the top. Best practice is purpose plus location, for example Muster — North Plant.

  3. (Optional) Pick an existing template from the Template dropdown to start from its contents. If you have unsaved changes, Notify confirms before loading it and replacing what is there.

  4. Compose your message for each channel — see Compose voice, SMS, and email messages.

  5. Choose contacts and configure call, response, and message settings in Advanced Settings — see Message, call, and response settings. (Scheduling is greyed out here by design.)

  6. (Recommended) Send yourself a test call to hear how it will sound.

  7. Click Save Template. If anything is incomplete, a brief message tells you what to fix; otherwise the template saves and you return to the Manage Templates list.

Reading the template list

Each row shows the template name, the date and time it was last updated, icons for its message types (phone, SMS, email), and the contact count. The Status column shows a dash, since templates have not been sent. Each page holds ten records.

Use Search Templates to filter by name — typed characters match anywhere in the name, not just the start.

Edit, copy, or delete a template

Three action icons sit on the right of each record:

  • Blue — Edit Template. Reopen the template to change its message, contacts, or settings, then save.

  • Yellow — Copy. Duplicate the template and save it under a new name. Useful for making a variant without rebuilding it.

  • Red — Delete Template. Remove a template you no longer need.

To delete one: click the red delete icon (web), or press and hold the record and choose Delete Template (mobile). Confirm with Delete / Yes, or keep it with Cancel / No.

To delete several: check the box beside each template, click the red Delete button at the top-right, then click Delete to confirm or Cancel.

Using a template to send

When an event hits, start a new notification and pick your template from the Template dropdown to load its contents, then set the send time and send. The full path is in Send a notification.

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