1. Concepts
Email content versus the attached document
Communications > Email Templates controls the subject, body, and (where eligible) attached document of a transactional email. The attached document itself, for example the invoice PDF, is designed separately under Document Templates; the email attachment picker only lets you choose among document templates that already exist there.Email template types
Eight email template types are available: Invoice, Payment Receipt, Payment Reminder, Usage Report, Refund Receipt, Contract, Credit Note, and Custom Email. Custom Email is a flexible, general-purpose type for anything the remaining types do not already cover.Which types can carry a document attachment
Invoice, Payment Receipt, Refund Receipt, and Credit Note emails can attach their own matching document type. Contract emails can attach either a Contract or an Invoice document. Payment Reminder emails can attach an Invoice document. Usage Report and Custom Email templates cannot carry a document attachment at all.Template variables
The email body editor has an Insert Variable option that lists placeholders you can drop into the subject or body, for example a customer’s name or an invoice number. Zenskar replaces these with real values when the email is sent. The exact list of available variables depends on the email type you are editing and is populated live by Zenskar, so the Insert Variable dropdown itself is the source of truth for what is available on a given template.Automatic versus manual sending
Most email types send automatically as part of the billing event they are tied to. Payment Reminder, Usage Report, and Custom Email templates additionally support sending on demand, using a Send Email action from the template list, independent of any automatic schedule.2. How-to guides
Create an email template
- Go to Communications > Email Templates and click + Add New Email Template.
- Choose an email template type.
- Enter a name for the template.
- If the type supports attachments, choose a document template from the Email Attachment dropdown. This dropdown only lists document templates that already exist under Document Templates; create one there first if none exists yet.
- Write the subject and body. Use Insert Variable to add placeholders that Zenskar fills in when the email is sent.
- Save the template.
Add a hyperlink to the email body
Select the text you want to link, then use the hyperlink tool in the editor toolbar to set the destination URL.Add a hidden, searchable element
Use the eye-icon tool in the editor toolbar to mark selected text as hidden. Hidden text does not render visibly in the email but remains in the underlying markup, so you can use it for keyword-based searches in your mail client without cluttering what the customer sees.Insert an image or your organization’s logo
Use the image tool in the editor toolbar, then choose URL to insert an image from a web address, or Org Logo to insert your organization’s current logo directly.To change what your organization’s logo is, go to Settings > General, and under Organization Details use the logo upload area to upload a new one.
Insert a usage aggregate (Usage Report only)
On a Usage Report template, use Insert Aggregate to add a value from one of your organization’s configured meters into the email body.Manually send an email
- Go to Communications > Email Templates.
- On a Payment Reminder, Usage Report, or Custom Email template’s row, use the Send Email action.
- Choose recipients using the selector on that row, labeled Select Customers or Select Invoices depending on the email type.
- Review the template content, then confirm the send.
Bulk send a Custom Email via CSV
- Open the Custom Email template’s Send Email action.
- Use Upload CSV to select a CSV file of recipients.
- Make sure the CSV includes a
customer_idorexternal_idcolumn identifying each recipient; a file missing both is rejected. - Confirm the send.