Message templates for chat channels
Text templates for Telegram, WhatsApp and other channels: plain text with variables, per-channel targeting, and quick insertion from the chat composer.
Chat replies have the same problem as email: the first message, the price explanation, the document checklist — your team types them again and again. Channel templates fix that. They are built in the same editor as email templates (Settings → Templates), but with the Type set to Channel.
What makes a channel template different
A channel template is plain text only — no HTML, since messengers don't render it. Line breaks you type are preserved exactly as written, so lists and short paragraphs arrive looking the way you shaped them.
Two settings are specific to this type:
- Channels — pick which channel providers the template applies to (for example only Telegram, or only WhatsApp). Leave the selection empty and the template is offered on any channel.
- Text signature — an optional plain-text signature appended after the body, separated by a blank line. If the template has none, your profile's signature is used instead.
Variables work the same way
Personalization uses the same {{...}} merge tags as email templates. A typical channel template body starts like the editor's own placeholder suggests: greeting the client by {{contact.firstName}}. Deal fields such as {{deal.name}} or {{deal.amount}} are available too, and tags that cannot be resolved stay visible in the text so you can fix them before sending. The full variable reference lives in Email templates with variables.
Where the template gets used
| Surface | How |
|---|---|
| Chat composer | Press Use template, search by name, and the text is inserted with variables already resolved for the open conversation |
| Automations | The send-channel-message action delivers the template automatically when its trigger fires |
If you want one template to serve both email and messengers, choose the Universal type instead: it keeps an HTML form for email plus a plain-text form, and the plain-text version is what goes out to channels.
Keeping the list tidy
Templates can be Active or Inactive — an inactive template disappears from the composer's picker but is not deleted. The list view flags templates with unsupported variables under Issues, counts each template's variables, and lets you drag rows to control picker order.
Keep channel templates short. Messenger etiquette differs from email: two short paragraphs with a clear question outperform a wall of text.
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