Work with email lists and templates

  • Updated

Optimizely Configured Commerce uses email templates to format emails sent by the system. Email lists connect to an email template, including the Subject and From information.

When certain events occur, such as a customer submitting an order, Configured Commerce retrieves all email lists connected to the event's email template. The email list provides the To, From, and Subject information. The email template provides the HTML for the body of the email. The following diagram shows the general workflow:

The Manage Subscribers tab is not relevant when working with standard out-of-the-box email lists and templates. While updating or changing an email list, changing its name causes the system to regenerate a new list using the default values. For information, see Create or Edit Email Templates.

Default email address

You can set the From address used for sending emails. This address is used when no From address was defined for an email in Marketing > Email Lists. The default value is defaultemail@insitesoft.com. To change this setting, go to Settings > Default Email Address in the Admin Console. You can enter an email address or include a name by using the format  <sender-name> <email-address>.

Default email templates

Configured Commerce provides several default email templates. Some email templates require an email, while others do not. Certain events, like submitting an order, do not require an email list because the system generates the confirmation email instead. See create and edit email templates and HTML variables for information.

  • Contact Us – A user receives the email after completing the form on the Contact Us page. The template includes the information provided in the contact form. The system sends emails using this template to the email addresses specified in the Send Email To field. The default email address is testaccount@insitesoft.com, if not changed.
    • List Name – ContactUsTemplate
    • Template Name – ContactUsTemplate
  • Order Approval – Order approvers receive this email when a customer submits an order for approval. The template includes information about the order, such as products ordered, payment method, and customer billing and shipping contact information.
    • List Name – OrderApproval
    • Template Name – OrderApproval
  • Order Confirmation – Billing and shipping customers receive this email after placing an order. The template includes information about the order, such as products ordered, payment method, and customer billing and shipping contact information.
    • List Name – OrderConfirmation
    • Template Name – OrderConfirmation
  • Request for RMA – Users who request the RMA receive this email, as well as the email address specified in the RMA Destination Email setting in the Admin Console. The template includes information about the product the user would like to return and the order.
    • List Name – RequestRMA
    • Template Name – Request RMA
  • Request for Quote – The system sends this email to the user who requested the quote or the salesperson responsible for proposing a quote, depending on the quote's current status. The template includes information like quote status (such as Requested, Proposed, or Rejected) and the product being quoted. See Request for Quote notifications and messaging examples for information.
    • List Name – RfqQuote
    • Template Name – RfqQuote
  • Shipment Confirmation – The system sends the email to the user who placed the order, billing and shipping customers associated with the order, the salesperson associated with the order, and the email address specified in the Customer Service Email Address setting when a package has shipped. The template includes order and shipping information, such as the quantity of product that was shipped. However, an email is only sent after the Send Shipment Confirmations integration job is completed.
    • List Name – ShipmentConfirmation
    • Template Name – ShipmentConfirmation
  • Integration Job Status Report – The email addresses listed in the Notification Email List for the associated integration job receive this email after the Job Status Report is completed. The template includes status information about any integration jobs started within a certain time period and the status of each. A common use case for this email is to create a recurring integration job to help make job failures and successes more visible. This automatically sends the Status Report email on a specified schedule.
    • List Name – The Notification Email list for the associated integration job
    • Template Name – StatusReport
  • Tell a Friend about a Product – The email address specified in the sharing product form receives this email once a user shares it. The template includes information about the product that was shared and a link to the Product Detail page. 
    • List Name – No associated list
    • Template Name – TellAFriend
  • Punch Out Failed Order Request – The email addresses specified in the Punchout_FailedOrderEmail application setting receive this email if a Punch Out order request fails to be processed by Configured Commerce. The template includes order information and the error message generated during the order processing. The system does not send an email if this setting is blank.
    • List Name – No associated list
    • Template Name – PunchOut_FailedOrderRequest
  • Notification of New Admin User Account – A new user receives an activation email for the newly created Admin Console user account. The template includes a link that activates the new account.
    • List Name – Admin_AccountActiviation
    • Template Name – Admin_AccountActivation
  • Notification of New Website/Website User Account – An administrator can send an activation email to a newly created Website user account. The template includes a link that activates the new account.
    • List Name – Website_AccountActivation
    • Template Name – Website_AccountActivation
  • Notification of a Reset Admin Account Password – The admin user who needs to reset their password receives this email with a link to reset the password.
    • List Name – Admin_ResetPassword
    • Template Name – Admin_ResetPassword
  • Notification of a Reset Website/Website Account Password – The website user who needs to reset their password receives this email with a link to reset the password.
    • List Name – Website_ResetPassword
    • Template Name – Website_ResetPassword
  • Share an Invoice with Another User – A website user can share an invoice with another user, which triggers this email template. The template includes a link to the invoice and a message from the user who shared the invoice. 
    • List Name – ShareInvoice
    • Template Name – ShareInvoice

Add a missing email template

Because this task involves searching Configured Commerce source code, you may need to work with a developer.

Configured Commerce does not create an email template in the Admin Console until it needs to be used to send an email. If you need to add an email template before the application automatically creates it, use the following steps:

  1. Create an email template in the Admin Console. For Name, use one of the names above, such as TellAFriend. The application looks for this name when it searches for an email template.
  2. Find the appropriate email template in the source code in the directory ~/B2B Commerce.Web/Views/DefaultEmails/. Each template is a .cshtml file and is named using the headings above.
  3. Copy the content from the email template file.
  4. Paste the content into the appropriate email template revision in the Admin Console.
  5. Adjust the email template as necessary.

The application uses the email template you created the next time it needs to send the associated email.

Troubleshooting tips

Logo

The Account Activation, Reset Password, Username Changed, and Shipment Confirmation templates contain a company logo. If this logo does not appear in these templates, go to Websites > Edit and populate Print & Email Logo Image with the appropriate logo. Each website may have a unique logo.

HTML

Since the template uses plain HTML, you can view it using a web browser to eliminate any HTML parsing or rendering problems.