Mastering Email Templates in Salesforce: A Complete Guide

Mastering Email Templates in Salesforce: A Complete Guide 

In today’s fast-paced digital world, effective communication with customers, partners, and employees is crucial. Salesforce offers a powerful tool to streamline this communication: Email Templates. Let’s dive into how you can create, use, and master email templates in Salesforce. 

What Are Email Templates in Salesforce? 

Email Templates (also called Communication Templates) allow Salesforce users to draft standardized emails to share information internally or externally without relying on external email servers. Whether you’re announcing new product launches, sending reminders, or providing case updates — templates make the process efficient and consistent. 

Salesforce even provides a collection of ready-to-use templates that can be customized according to your needs.  

Benefits of Using Email Templates  

• Consistency: Maintain brand voice across all communications. 

• Efficiency: Save time drafting emails. 

• Dynamic Content: Personalize emails with Merge Fields. 

• Bulk Messaging: Send notifications to multiple users at once. 

Where Are Email Templates Stored? 

• EmailTemplate Object: Houses all email templates. 

• Folder Object: Manages folders where templates are stored. 

Default Folders: 

• Unfiled Public Email Templates: Accessible by all users. 

• My Personal Email Templates: Private templates, access granted individually. 

Types of Email Templates in Salesforce 

Salesforce offers four types of templates: 

1. Plain Text Template 

• Simple text with no formatting. 

• No images, colors, or hyperlinks. 

1. HTML with Letterhead Template 

• Use Salesforce-created Letterheads to enhance the email appearance. 

1. Custom HTML Template 

• Fully customizable using HTML coding without using Letterheads. 

1. Visualforce Email Template 

• For complex and dynamic email content using Visualforce pages. 

How to Create a New Email Template 

Navigation Path: 

Setup → Administer → Communication Templates → Email Templates → New Template 

Steps: 

1. Choose Template Type (Text, HTML, Custom HTML, or Visualforce). 

1. Select the folder where the template will reside. 

1. Enter Template Name, Subject, and Body. 

1. Use Merge Fields to dynamically populate content. 

1. Save your template! 

Use Case: Notify a Contact Upon Record Creation 

• Subject: Congratulations! Your Contact Record has been Created Successfully. 

• Body: 

Dear Customer,
Thank you for purchasing from us. Your contact record is now successfully created in our database.
Regards, Sales Team, DELL Inc. 

Testing Email Templates 

Steps: 

1. Open the created template. 

1. Click “Send Test and Verify Merge Fields”. 

1. Choose a record to pull dynamic data into the email. 

1. Preview and send a test email. 

Understanding Merge Fields 

Merge Fields pull live data from Salesforce records into the email dynamically. 

Syntax: {!ObjectName.FieldName} 

Examples: 

• {!Account.Name} 

• {!User.FirstName} 

• {!Candidate_c.Location_c} 

Letterheads: Making Emails Look Attractive 

Salesforce allows you to create Letterheads — branded headers and footers for emails. 

Steps: 

1. Setup → Administer → Communication Templates → Letterheads → New 

1. Add logos, select colors, and design your header/footer. 

1. Save and use them in HTML templates. 

Creating Different Template Types 

1. Plain Text Email

Simple, no formatting emails. 

2. HTML Email (with Letterhead)

Professional emails with company branding. 

3. Custom HTML Email (without Letterhead)

Use HTML code manually to design emails creatively. 

Common HTML tags used: 

• <b> for bold 

• <i> for italic 

• <u> for underline 

• <a> for hyperlinks 

• <br/> for line breaks 

4. Visualforce Email Template

Advanced templates where complex Salesforce logic can be used to populate dynamic content. 

Real-World Scenarios: Email Template Examples 

• Notify Hiring Managers about New Open Positions. 

• Alert Candidates when their application is submitted. 

• Inform Customers upon Account creation. 

Each template can include specific dynamic fields like candidate name, job location, expected CTC, contact details, etc. 

Conclusion 

Email Templates in Salesforce are more than just pre-written messages — they’re a powerful tool for scalable, personalized, and professional communication. Mastering templates, merge fields, and letterheads allows your organization to communicate faster and more effectively.