Creating and Using Email Templates

Overview

Lightning email templates let you create standardized, professional communications that automatically pull data from your Practifi records using merge fields. For wealth management firms, this means your team can send personalized, on-brand outreach — from quarterly review invitations to onboarding communications — without having to compose each message from scratch.

This article walks you through creating Lightning email templates, adding dynamic content using merge fields, and referencing them in the Send an Email action within process tasks and the Rulebook.

Please note: This article shows you how to create and edit Lightning email templates. You can create Classic email templates in Practifi via Salesforce Setup. However, you should be aware that Classic email templates are not compatible with the Send an Email action for workflows.

• Create a Lightning Email Template
• Edit a Lightning Email Template
  • Add Merge Fields
• Using Email Templates to Send Emails in Practifi
  • Global Actions Menu
  • Entity Record
• Using Email Templates with the Send an Email Action Type

Create a Lightning Email Template

To create an email template in Practifi:

1. Click the App Launcher in the upper-left corner of the Practifi screen, then select Settings.            
    
    

2. In the Settings app, click the caret next to the Navigation menu and select Email Templates.
    

   

3. On the Email Templates page, click New Email Template. A new tab opens.
    

   

4. On the New Email Template screen, enter a name for the template, then click Save. 
    

   

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Edit a Lightning Email Template

After saving your email template, you are taken to the Email Template record. You can now add message content to the template, including merge fields. To edit the template:

1. From the Email Template record, click Edit.
    

   

   
   Please note: If you want to add Lightning components to the template using the Email Template Builder, click the Edit in Builder button. To learn more about using Email Template Builder, see this Salesforce Help article.

2. In the edit window, enter a subject in the Subject field. To include merge fields, type them in manually.

3. Optionally, select an object from the Related Entity Type dropdown list. Based on your selection, the email template will only be available when the email you’re composing has a corresponding Related To record.
    

   

4. If you want, select a letterhead from the Enhanced Letterhead dropdown list.
5. In the HTML Value text box, compose the email to use as your template:
   • Add images by selecting the Insert Images icon or copying and pasting them.
   • Click the Insert merge fields icon in the bottom right corner of the HTML Value area to use the merge field picker. For more information, see the Add Merge Fields section below.
   • Click the Source icon on the toolbar to add HTML code.

   • Add any attachments you want in the template. After a template is saved, any content document links (Salesforce file links) are converted to content asset links.
      

     

6. Click Save.

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Add Merge Fields

Merge fields allow you to automatically insert data from your Practifi records into your email templates, creating personalized communications without manual effort. When a template is used, Practifi replaces each merge field with the corresponding data from the relevant record, so your team can send individually addressed, context-aware emails at scale.

When composing the body of the email, you can use the merge field picker to insert merge fields. Click the Insert merge fields icon at the bottom right of the text area. Look for the { } symbol to access the merge field picker.

Please note: It is not possible to use the merge field picker in the Subject field of the Email Template record. Merge fields in the subject line must be typed in manually.

From the Insert Merge Field window, you can select merge fields that would describe the recipient, sender, or organization. The field selected from the picker aligns with the data in the Salesforce record:

• Recipient: Person receiving the email
• Sender: Person sending the email
• Organization: Your company’s Practifi organization information
• Related Entity: Fields from the object selected in the Related Entity dropdown list

From the list, select the field you would like to include in the body of the email, then click Insert.

Draft the rest of your email as usual. The inserted merge fields are indicated by three curly brackets on either side of the merge language {{{ }}}.

If you don’t see the fields that you want to use in the field picker, check the Related Entity Type dropdown list in the edit window. If no related entity is selected, only the Recipient, Sender, and Organization merge fields are available.

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Using Email Templates to Send Emails in Practifi

After saving your email template, you can access it when composing emails via the Global Actions menu or from within an Entity record. Using a template when sending individual emails helps your team maintain consistent messaging while still personalizing each communication for the recipient.

Global Actions Menu

To use an email template when composing an email via Global Actions:

1. Click the Global Actions icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen and select Email.
    

   

2. In the pop-up window, the Related To field determines which templates are available. For example, if your template is related to the Entity object, click the caret in the Related To dropdown and scroll down to select Entities.
    

   

3. Next, use the Related To field to search for and select the relevant entity.
    

   

4. Use the To field to search for and select one or more contacts from the entity.
    

   

5. Above the Related To field, click the Insert, create or update template icon, then select Insert a template...
    

   

6. In the Insert Email Template window, click the hyperlinked name of the template you want to use.
    

   

7. The template content is inserted into the body of the email. Make any desired changes, then click Send. 

Entity Record

To send an email from within an Entity record using a template:

1. From the Entity record, click the Activities navigation icon in the record side panel.
    

   

2. At the top of the Activities section, click the Email tab.
    

   

3. Under the body of the email, click the Insert, create or update template icon, then select Insert a template...
    

   

4. In the Insert Email Template window, click the hyperlinked name of the template you want to use.
    

   

5. The template content is inserted into the body of the email. Make any desired changes, then click Send. 

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Using Email Templates with the Send an Email Action Type

The Send an Email action type lets you incorporate email communications directly into your firm’s automated workflows and Rulebook rules. This means routine touchpoints, such as confirmation messages, reminders, or follow-ups tied to a process step, can be sent automatically using a consistent, pre-approved template rather than relying on individual team members to send them manually.

When a workflow step uses the Send an Email action type, Practifi displays a preview of the email to the assigned user before it is sent. This preview step also allows the user to add additional recipients and choose the sending email address. If you want team members to be able to add a personalized note before sending, include the %AdditionalMessage% string in your email template at the relevant point. This string should be placed in its own paragraph to ensure proper formatting. If you add this string to a template, you must also check the Show Additional Message checkbox on the action configuration.

Please note: Emails sent via the workflow engine are sent through Salesforce’s email servers. Microsoft 365 and Gmail integrations are only supported for emails composed manually through the Global Actions menu or the Activity Timeline.

As of the Alicante Bouschet release, you can enter the Record ID of an email template in the Email Template field for the Send an Email action type.

If your Practifi organization has not been upgraded to the Alicante Bouschet release, the API name (or developer name) of the template is required. The developer name is not surfaced in Practifi, but you can use Salesforce Inspector Reloaded to find it for an email template. For instructions on installing and using this extension, please see our article on Using Salesforce Inspector Reloaded in Practifi.

 Here’s how to find the developer name for an email template using Salesforce Inspector Reloaded:

1. From the Email Templates page in the Settings app, click the name of the desired email template.
    

   

2. Use the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + Shift + I) or (Cmd + Shift + I) to open the Salesforce Inspector Reloaded menu.
   Please note: Alternatively, you can click the blue arrow icon on the right-hand side of your screen to open the menu.

3. From the Salesforce Inspector Reloaded menu, click Show all data.

   

4. Find the DeveloperName row and copy its Value field.

   

5. Paste the copied value into the Email Template field when creating a Send an Email action.

   

   Please note: The Send an Email rule action in the Rulebook works only for internal users. Email alerts cannot be sent to external recipients.