Salesforce provides a powerful way to streamline customer communications through email templates. Whether you’re sending order confirmations, follow-ups, or promotional emails, templates save time while ensuring consistency. In this guide, we’ll explore how to create and use email templates, leverage merge fields, and walk through an example using an Order record.
What Are Email Templates in Salesforce?
Email templates in Salesforce allow users to create pre-formatted emails that can be sent to customers or internal teams. These templates can include dynamic content using merge fields, ensuring that each email is personalised with relevant data.
Salesforce supports different types of email templates:
- Text Templates – Simple plain text emails.
- HTML with Letterhead – Designed emails with company branding.
- Custom HTML – Fully customisable HTML emails.
- Lightning Email Templates – Modern templates created using the Lightning Email Builder.
For our example, we’ll focus on Lightning Email Templates, as they offer flexibility and an easy drag-and-drop interface.
Creating an Email Template in Salesforce
Navigate to Email Templates
- Go to App Launcher and search for Email Templates.
- Click New Email Template.
Enter Template Details
- Name: Order Confirmation Email
- Subject: Your Order {{{Order.OrderNumber}}} Has Been Confirmed!
- Related Entity Type: Order (because this will be an Order confirmation)
- Folder: Choose an appropriate folder for storage.
Insert Merge Fields
Merge fields allow you to pull data dynamically from Salesforce records. For example, if you’re sending an email from an Order record, you can use merge fields like:
- Order Number:
{{{Order.OrderNumber}}} - Order Total:
{{{Order.TotalAmount}}} - Shipping Address:
{{{Order.ShippingAddress}}}
Compose the Email Body
Here’s an example email body using merge fields:
Save the newly created Email Template.
Sending an Email Using the Template
Once your email template is created, you can use it to send emails manually or through automation.
Sending Manually from an Order Record:
- Open an Order record.
- Click Email in the Activity section.
- Click Insert Template and select your newly created Order Confirmation Email.
- Ensure the merge fields populate correctly.
- Click Send.
Automating Email Sends with Flow:
If you want to send emails automatically:
- Use Flow Builder to create a process that triggers an email when an order status changes.
- Set up Email Alerts in Flow to send the email when an order is placed.
Best Practices for Using Email Templates in Salesforce
✔ Use Merge Fields Correctly – Ensure that all merge fields exist in the object to avoid errors.
✔ Personalise Your Emails – Use the recipient’s name and relevant details to improve engagement.
✔ Test Your Templates – Send test emails to check that merge fields work properly.
✔ Leverage Automation – Use Flow to send emails automatically.
✔ Keep Templates Updated – Regularly review templates to reflect current branding and messaging.
Final Thoughts
Salesforce email templates simplify communication while ensuring consistency and accuracy. Whether sending order confirmations, follow-ups, or marketing emails, merge fields allow you to personalise each message efficiently.
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