Email Templates and Triggers are a powerful part of the OwnerRez messaging system that automates messaging, based on events or scheduled times, while also giving users the ability to maintain a personalized and branded look and feel.
There are two types of OwnerRez email message templates, System Email Messages and Email Message Templates. Looking for Listing Channel (Airbnb, Vrbo, etc. ) Messaging Templates? Check out our Channel Templates support article.
- August 20, 2024 Webinar Focus Session - Templates for Email, Channel and SMS Messages
- Types of OwnerRez Email Message Templates
- System Email Messages are automatically sent for routine situations, like payment receipts, payment requests, quotes, date changes, and many other things based on events like booking created, payment created, etc.
- Create an Email Message Template that is created by the OR user and automatically triggered and sent based on criteria like the number of days before booking or manually sent.
- Delete, Disable, or Reenable an Email Template
- Other Email Template Solutions
Types of OwnerRez Email Message Templates
System Email Messages
System Email Messages are automatically sent for routine situations, like payment receipts, payment requests, quotes, date changes, and many other things based on events like booking created, payment created, etc.
Create an Email Message Template
Email Message Templates can be created by users and triggered based on criteria like the number of days before booking or manually sent.
Email Message Templates are emails users create to share information with their guests or to send notifications to property owners, cleaners or other support staff.
Users can create and compose Email Message Templates by navigating to Settings > Messaging > Templates.
From the Create Email Template drop-down list, select the type of Email Template that you want to create.
Users should note that if they want their email template to be automatically sent by a trigger, they MUST create a Booking email template as triggers are based on booking criteria only.
In the email template editor, users can select Field codes to customize their email message template for each property and each booking/guest by clicking on the field code icon or Insert Field, depending on the section of the booking email template.
Click on the Insert button to add the field code to your booking email template and the selected field code will be added to your booking email template.
When users want to see how their email template will appear to guests, they can click on Save, then choose Preview at the top of the screen.
Users can also preview additional emails for other properties and/or guests by selecting from the Property and Booking drop-down lists. Click on Close to exit the preview.
Are some of the text that you copy and pasted into your email template appearing funky during Preview Mode? Users can clear the formatting of any text by selecting the text and clicking on the Clear Formatting Tx icon.
Be sure to click on Save and Preview your changes.
Users can adjust and edit their booking email template and then preview it until their booking email template appears as desired.
Once you've written your Email Template, users can use the Trigger feature to determine when it will be sent.
Customized email message templates created by OwnerRez users will only be sent automatically if the email message template has a corresponding trigger set.
Delete, Disable, or Reenable an Email Template
It is possible to delete an email template, but it is a drastic choice. OwnerRez recommends that you disable it instead, as disabled email templates are not displayed or visible in the templates list and can be re-enabled. Once you delete an email template, you have to reconfigure it from scratch.
If an email template is associated with any triggers, you won't be able to disable or delete it, and the system will notify you of that limitation in the upper right corner of the app.
If your email template is not associated with any triggers, you can disable it by navigating to Settings > Messaging > Templates > the Email tab, selecting the template you wish to disable > and clicking on the Disable button.
By default, disabled email templates are not displayed in the listing of all active templates. However, you can click on Show All to display all enabled and disabled email templates.
You can re-enable disabled email templates by selecting the template you wish to re-enable > and clicking on the Enable button.
You can delete email templates by navigating to Settings > Messaging > Templates > the Email tab, selecting the template you wish to delete, and clicking on the Delete button.
You will be asked, "Are you sure you want to delete the 1 selected email template? This cannot be undone." Click OK.
Other Email Template Solutions
Sending to Multiple Email Addresses
Generally, the "To" field of an email template will use a field code containing an email address, such as {CEMAIL}. Both field codes, and the "To" field itself, can handle lists of email addresses separated by commas and semicolons. For instance, the {CEMAIL} field code will contain all of a guest's email addresses that are recorded for them in OwnerRez.
So, if you want someone else to be CC'd on certain messages, you can put something like this in the "To" field: {CEMAIL}, fancy@fancyrentals.com.
Note that email templates do not support BCC, so all recipients of your emails will be able to see the email address of all other recipients of the same email.
Sending Files With Email Templates
OwnerRez does not currently support attachments on emails because we've seen issues with deliverability with attachments -- emails going to spam folders more often, etc. Instead, you can upload files to your account so you can include links to those file in the email template.
OwnerRez limits the file size to 30MB or less for file uploads.
The easiest way to do this is to use the Upload button when composing the template. If you upload an image, it will display directly in the email. If you upload a different kind of file, such as PDF, it will embed a link in the email that the guest can click to load the file.
A modal pop-up window will appear allowing users to either Drag and Drop a file, Select File from their computer or Paste an Image.
Files selected will be added to the body of the email template with a link with the same name.
You can also upload a file to your account's Files section and then reference it separately in your email. Here's how you do that.
Navigate to your Account Files section (Settings > Advanced Tools > Account Files) to upload a file.
Select the Upload Files button.
Once the file is uploaded, from the Actions drop-down list, select Copy Public Link to copy a public link to the file.
Back in the email template, use the Insert/Edit Link or chains icon to create a link to the file.
An Insert/Edit Link pop-up window will appear, allowing users to add the copied link to their account file. Click Update.
Files selected will be added to the body of the email template with a link with the same name.
Fix My Ugly URL
But, I don't like that ugly URL!
By default, when a file is uploaded into OwnerRez' servers, it's given a random name and location something like this:
https://uc.orez.io/w/images/20df4836355d487daf1718ff4603da91.png
This works, but sometimes you want something a little nicer-looking - and, if you are using the OwnerRez Hosted Website, there's a way to do it.
Navigate to Settings > My Website > Hosted Websites, and select the website with the domain name you want to use.
Select the Redirects tab and click on Create a Redirect.
On the Create Hosted Website Redirect page, complete the following.
- From the Type drop-down list, select Exact Match.
- In the From field next to your domain name, enter a nicer name for your file. Do not put any spaces in the name though.
- Select the "Custom URL" option, and in the adjacent field, enter the full ugly URL from the Copy Public Link above.
Click on Save. You can now use the nicer name, at your own domain name, as the URL for your file. It'll automatically be forwarded to the right place.
And, if later you want to update the file to a new version, you can do that while retaining the same friendly link by completing the following.
- Upload a new file, which will have its own ugly Public Link URL.
- Use Copy Public Link (as above) to get the full ugly URL.
- Edit the redirect, and change the value in the "Custom URL" option to point to the new URL. Wherever you've used the pretty name in the From field, will automatically be linked to the updated version of your file at the new ugly URL.
Use Editor HTML Mode
HyperText Markup Language or HTML is the standard markup language for documents designed to be displayed in a web browser and offers increased design flexibility over the OwnerRez rich text editor. If users are comfortable with using HTML, OwnerRez recommends that they use the HTML mode in the Email Template rich text editor.
Users can locate and select the HTML mode in the Email Template rich text editor in the banner of the email template banner with the < > icon.
The HTML Source Editor will pop open allowing users to add elevated design elements. Users should note the following.
- Users can turn off the Word Wrap (defaulted to on) checkbox that allows long words to be able to be broken and wrap onto the next line.
- Be sure to click on Update to save any changes made in the HTML Source Editor but remember that users still need to Save their email template when the HTML Source Editor is closed.
My guest says my link doesn't work.
There may be a couple of things at play here, but your first step is to try the link yourself. Does it work? Great. Ask your guest to try again.
If the link does not work, some troubleshooting may be necessary.
- Did you ask your guest to "copy and paste" the plain-text URL address into another browser tab? This may solve your problem. Perhaps the guest was attempting to "click" on the plain-text URL address.
- Maybe the plain-text URL address was "wrapped" (as mentioned in the Editor HTML Mode section), and the plain-text URL address was broken up into more than one line? Perhaps the guest didn't "copy" the complete plain-text URL address.
- Some browsers limit the number of characters allowed in a link. For example, both Chrome and Internet Explorer browsers limit URL characters to 2,083. OwnerRez automatically shortens URL characters, but checking the number of characters in your URL may be worthwhile.
Consider reviewing the Ask Channel Booking Guest Without Contact Info, to Provide Contact Info and Sign Renter Agreement support article for more information.