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Templates

Streamline your communication scheduling with templates in the Communicate App.

#templates #scheduling #time-saving #best-practices

Templates

Streamline Your Communication Scheduling

Templates in the Communicate App allow you to efficiently schedule communications across your campaigns by setting a predefined schedule. With Templates, you can quickly apply a set schedule of communications to any campaign, saving time and ensuring consistency across your communications strategy.

1. Templates List

The Templates section provides a comprehensive view of all the templates you’ve created. This view functions similarly to the Campaigns list, allowing you to manage your templates effectively.

  • Sorting:

    • You can sort your templates by name, the number of assigned communications, or the length of the template by clicking on the column headers.

  • Editing and Duplicating Templates:

    • Edit: To edit a template, click on the three-dot icon next to the template’s name. Any changes you make will only affect future uses of the template, not any campaigns that have already used it.
    • Duplicate: Clicking Duplicate will create a copy of the selected template. You can give the duplicate a new name and adjust it as needed.

  • Deleting Templates:

    • To delete a template, click on the three-dot icon and select Delete. Deleting a template is straightforward and does not provide a warning or prompt. Existing campaigns that used the template will remain intact and unaffected by the deletion.

2. Creating a Template

Creating a new template is simple and flexible, allowing you to set up schedules that match your communication needs.

  • Starting a New Template:

    • Click the “+ New” button at the top of the Templates page to begin.
    • Name the Template: Enter a name for your template. There are no restrictions on the name, so you can include any characters you need.
    • Select Template Length: Use the “Weeks” dropdown to select the length of your template. You can choose any length from 1 to 20 weeks.

  • Building the Template:

    • The template layout resembles the communications calendar in the Campaign page. It displays a grid where each column represents a day, and each row represents a week.
    • Above the grid, you’ll see a set of Channel icons. Drag and drop these icons into the cells corresponding to the days you want the communications to be scheduled. You can add multiple communications on the same day or spread them out across the week.
    • There are no visual indicators like color-coding or labels within the cells, so it’s important to plan your schedule carefully as you place each communication.
    • Once you’ve set up your template, click Save to finalize it.

3. Using Templates

Templates are designed to streamline the scheduling process by allowing you to quickly apply a predefined set of communications to a campaign.

  • Applying a Template:

    • To apply a template to a campaign, navigate to the Communications Calendar within the Campaign page.
    • Click the “+ Apply Template” button to open a dropdown menu showing all available templates. The dropdown will only display templates that have the same or fewer weeks as your current campaign.
    • Select the desired template, and the communications from the template will be added to your campaign’s schedule. Keep in mind:
      • The Day 1 of the template corresponds to the start date of your campaign.
      • If the template is shorter than the campaign, the remaining days or weeks will be left blank for you to fill as needed.
    • Existing communications in your campaign will not be overridden by the template. You can apply multiple templates to a single campaign, but if you need to change templates, you’ll need to remove all existing communications before applying a new one.

  • Adjusting After Application:

    • Once a template has been applied, you can adjust, reorder, or remove any communications as needed, just as you would if you had scheduled them manually.

4. Best Practices

To get the most out of Templates, consider the following best practices:

  • Tiered Templates:

    • Create templates based on the tiers or levels of your communications. For example, major all-church events might have a Tier 1 template with more weeks and communications, while smaller events might use a shorter, more focused template. This approach allows you to quickly match a template to the scale of the campaign.

  • Consistent Start Days:

    • Consider standardizing the start day for your campaigns. If you always start campaigns on a Monday, you can create templates with this in mind, ensuring that Day 1 of each template aligns with Monday. This consistency helps maintain alignment with your communication schedule when applying templates.

Templates are a powerful tool to enhance your communication planning, ensuring that your campaigns are well-organized and executed efficiently. By taking advantage of templates, you can save time, reduce errors, and maintain a consistent approach across all your communication efforts.

Additional Resources

For more detailed guidance, explore our Documentation. If you have further questions, reach out to us at [email protected].

Start organizing your communications more effectively today.

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