Message Templates

What This Page Covers

How to create and manage message templates — the customizable content of emails and text messages sent to your customers when you send review flow requests and custom form requests.

What Are Message Templates?

Every time you send a review request or form request via email or SMS, FSRevs uses a message template to generate the content. FSRevs provides system default templates that work out of the box, but you can create custom templates to match your brand voice and communication style.

Channels

Templates exist for two delivery channels:

Channel	Used For
Email	Rich HTML emails with subject lines, formatting, and branding
SMS	Short text messages with links

Message Types (Tags)

Each template is tagged for a specific purpose:

Email Tags

Tag	When It’s Sent
Review Request	When you send a customer a review flow request via email
Review Reminder	When an automated follow-up reminder is sent for a review flow
Form Request	When you send a customer a custom form request via email

SMS Tags

Tag	When It’s Sent
Review Request SMS	When you send a review flow request via text message
Form Request SMS	When you send a custom form request via text message

Template Scoping

Template availability controls where you can select a template. Creating a template does not automatically make it the default for every matching request.

Availability	What it means
A specific Review Flow or Custom Form	The template is available for that selected Flow or Form; a location-specific resource supplies its location context.
Always Available Globally	The template can be selected by compatible Flows or Forms across the workspace. Its type, channel, and tag still need to match.

To use a saved template, select it in the Review Flow or Custom Form’s message settings, then save that Flow or Form. Request email, reminder email, and SMS each have their own selection. Leaving a request template on the system default uses FSRevs’s built-in content.

For example, a custom Review Request email template does not change the Review Reminder or SMS wording. Configure those separately if they should also change.

Dynamic Variables

Variables insert details such as the customer’s name and the request’s unique link when FSRevs prepares the message. Use the editor’s variable picker to insert supported examples. The syntax uses Twig; you can copy the examples below without learning the full template language.

Email content uses a limited Rich Editor for emphasis, lists, and ordinary web links. It does not provide image blocks or managed Customer destinations. SMS templates remain plain text.

Available Variables

Customer

Variable	Output
`customer.full_name`	Customer’s full name
`customer.first_name`	First name
`customer.last_name`	Last name
`customer.first_initial`	First initial

Sender (person sending the request)

Variable	Output
`sender.full_name`	Sender’s full name
`sender.first_name`	First name
`sender.title`	Job title

Employee (attributed team member)

Variable	Output
`employee.full_name`	Employee’s full name
`employee.first_name`	First name
`employee.title`	Job title

Location

Variable	Output
`location.name`	Location name
`location.phone`	Location phone number
`location.address.line_1`	Street address
`location.address.single_line`	Complete address on one line
`location.address.city`	City
`location.address.state`	State

URLs

Variable	Output
`review_url`	The unique URL for the customer’s review flow
`form_url`	The unique URL for the customer’s form

Context

Variable	Output
`is_first_contact`	Whether this is the first message to this customer

Example Template

This example is for a Review Request or Review Reminder. For a Form Request, use form_url in place of review_url.

Hi {{ customer.first_name | default('there') }},

Thank you for visiting {{ location.name }}! We'd love to hear about your experience.

Please take a moment to share your feedback:
{{ review_url }}

Best,
{{ sender.full_name }}

Required Content and Missing Values

Keep both the business name variable (location.name) and the matching request link (review_url or form_url) in the message body. The editor checks for required variables and valid syntax before saving.

Customer and employee details can be absent. Use a fallback such as {{ customer.first_name | default('there') }} so the greeting still makes sense when no name was provided. Do not replace the unique request link with a shared Smart Link: the request link is what connects this recipient to the prepared request.

Creating a Template

Navigate to System Configuration > Message Templates in the portal sidebar
Select New Message Template
Choose the template type (Review Flow or Custom Form)
Select the channel (Email or SMS)
Choose the tag (Request, Reminder, etc.)
Choose a specific Flow or Form, or Always Available Globally
Give the template a recognizable name; write the email subject when applicable and the message content using variables
Keep Message Template Enabled on and save the template
Open the intended Flow or Form’s Build & Configure workspace, choose the template in its matching message settings, and save

You need management access to the relevant configuration. If the template is missing from a selector, check its type, channel, tag, and Flow/Form availability. A template tied to one existing Flow is not an option while creating a different Flow.

Previewing Templates

Use the Preview action beside a selected custom template when available. The preview shows raw content with variables unresolved, so it helps check wording and structure but does not confirm how a particular customer’s name or link will render. To inspect starting default wording, choose Create New Template in the selector and review the prefilled content before deciding whether to save a custom version.

Before using new wording broadly, send a request to a contact you control and check the received message and its link. A real FSRevs send uses the applicable request allowance.

System Defaults

FSRevs includes built-in default templates for each supported channel and tag. You can send requests without creating custom templates. Choosing the type, channel, and tag while creating a template fills in starting content that you can adapt.

Email Themes

When creating email templates, you can select an email theme that controls the visual styling of the email - colors, layout, and branding elements. This ensures your emails match your business identity.

FSRevs currently provides two email themes:

Minimal HTML Format (Better Deliverability)
Rich HTML Format (More Design - Best for Transactional Emails)

The minimal format is the default recommendation for most review-request email because it is lighter and generally better aligned with straightforward follow-up messages. The theme name is guidance, not a guarantee of delivery or inbox placement.

The rich format has more visual design, while the minimal format can feel more like a direct person-to-person follow-up. Choose the presentation that honestly matches the customer interaction.

If you are deciding between them:

Choose Minimal HTML Format (Better Deliverability) when your priority is a lightweight, simple request message
Choose Rich HTML Format (More Design - Best for Transactional Emails) when the message benefits from stronger layout or branding and still fits the context of what the customer expects

For broader guidance on how theme choice, consent, and message style affect sending results, see Deliverability, Consent & Inbox Placement.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
The old wording is still used	Save the custom template, then confirm it is selected in the correct Flow or Form and channel. Editing an email template does not change SMS.
The template will not save	Read the validation message; keep the required business name and request URL variables, and check matching braces or conditional tags.
A greeting has a blank name	Add a fallback for optional customer or employee values.
Preview still shows braces	Raw preview intentionally leaves variables unresolved. Check a received test request for the populated result.