What Are Email Templates in Dynamics 365 CRM?

Email templates are reusable messages that provide boilerplate content you can adjust for a particular recipient or situation. Instead of repeatedly writing similar emails from scratch, you can start from a prepared template and customize it as needed. Using templates can save time while helping your team maintain more consistent communication. When emails are tracked to Dynamics 365 records, they also become part of the CRM history, making the communication available for future reference rather than leaving it only in the sender's mailbox.

Finding Email Templates

In the Sales Hub, email templates can be found in the Personal Settings area. If you're using a custom CRM app, email templates can also be added to the application's navigation so users can access them more easily. Dynamics 365 includes templates associated with different record types, such as:

• Customers
• Contacts
• Accounts
• Leads
• Opportunities
• Cases
• Invoices

You can use these existing templates or create your own.

Understanding an Email Template

When creating or editing a template, there are several important pieces of information to consider. The template name helps users identify it when selecting from a list. You can also decide whether the template should be personal to your user or available across the organization. The category determines the type of CRM record associated with the template. This is important because the record type determines which information is available for dynamic content. A description can provide additional information about the template's purpose, while the subject and body contain the content that will ultimately appear in the email.

Personalize Templates with Dynamic Content

One of the most useful features of CRM email templates is dynamic content. Dynamic content pulls information from CRM records and adds it directly to the email. Instead of manually looking up and entering information for every recipient, the template can populate that data for you. For example, a template could dynamically insert a customer's first name. You can also define alternative text to use if the corresponding CRM field doesn't contain any data, such as "Valued Customer" when a contact's first name is unavailable. Because this information comes from the CRM record, dynamic content can reduce repetitive data entry while helping you use the information already stored in Dynamics 365.

Add Images to Email Templates

Email templates can include images as well as text. When adding an image, using a URL for an image that's hosted online can provide a more stable way to include it in the template. This makes it possible to incorporate visual elements alongside your reusable and dynamic content.

Using an Email Template in CRM

Using a template directly from Dynamics 365 is straightforward. Start by opening the record associated with the person you want to email. For example, you can open a Contact record and create a new email from the Timeline. From the email, select the option to insert an email template. You can then choose an appropriate template and preview its content. Dynamic information can be populated based on the CRM record, while any placeholder information that requires manual customization can be adjusted before sending. Once the message is ready, you can send it directly from CRM. The email is associated with the CRM record so your team can refer to that communication later.

Using Email Templates in Outlook

If you prefer working from Outlook, you don't have to give up the benefits of CRM email templates. The Dynamics 365 add-in for Outlook allows you to use CRM functionality while composing an Outlook email. The add-in needs to be properly configured and deployed for your user. After opening the Dynamics 365 add-in, you can track the email to the appropriate CRM record, often referred to as setting the email "regarding" that record. From the add-in, select the option to insert a template, choose the appropriate CRM record when necessary, and select the template you want to use. The template content is then added to the Outlook message. You can customize the email as needed, send it from Outlook, and keep the message connected to the appropriate Dynamics 365 record.

Create Templates for Specialized Business Processes

Email templates aren't limited to standard communication scenarios. For example, you might have a custom table that tracks product subscription renewals. An email template could support that process by including information such as the product name and billing contact from CRM. That gives organizations the ability to create reusable communication for highly specific business processes rather than limiting templates to generic sales emails. Creating email templates for custom tables can be more involved than creating them for standard Dynamics 365 tables, but it provides additional flexibility for specialized processes.

Use Email Templates with Automation

Email templates can also be incorporated into CRM workflows and Power Automate processes. For example, you could automate communication around a product subscription renewal based on important dates. Another process might send a follow-up message when a customer hasn't responded to a Quote. Combining reusable templates with automation can reduce even more manual work by allowing appropriately configured processes to handle recurring communications.

Streamline Your Sales Communication

Email templates are particularly useful whenever you find yourself writing the same types of messages repeatedly. Templates provide reusable content, while dynamic fields can populate information directly from Dynamics 365. Users can send these messages from CRM or work through Outlook with the Dynamics 365 add-in while still keeping communication associated with CRM records. The result is a more streamlined way to communicate with customers, reduce repetitive work, maintain more consistent messaging, and keep important correspondence available to the broader team.