Email Templates
Email templates let you create reusable messages that you can send to students, guardians, or groups. Each template supports merge fields that automatically personalize the email with the recipient's information.
Creating an Email Template
- Navigate to Settings > Emails from the sidebar.
- Click Create Template.
- Fill in the template details:
- Name -- A descriptive name for internal reference (e.g., "Welcome Email" or "Lesson Reminder").
- Assignment -- Choose whether this is a General template (for manual sending) or a Registration template (sent automatically during the registration flow).
- Subject -- The email subject line. You can use merge fields here too.
- Body -- The main content of your email. Use the rich text editor to format your message, add links, and insert merge fields.
- Click Save to create the template.
Give your templates clear, descriptive names so you can find them quickly when sending emails. For example, "Fall Semester Welcome" is easier to find than "Template 1."
Template Merge Fields
Merge fields are placeholders that get replaced with real data when the email is sent. Wrap them in curly braces.
Available in All Templates
| Merge Field | Description |
|---|---|
{organization_name} | Your school's name |
{recipient_name} | The full name of the email recipient |
{recipient_first_name} | The first name of the recipient |
{student_name} | The full name of the student |
{customer_name} | The customer (billing) account name |
Available in the Lesson Reminder System Template Only
The Lesson Reminder template (Settings → Emails & SMS → System Templates) has additional merge fields related to the upcoming lesson:
| Merge Field | Description |
|---|---|
{lesson_category} | The course category ("Lesson", "Class", or "Program") |
{lesson_date} | The date of the lesson |
{lesson_start_time} | The start time |
{lesson_end_time} | The end time |
{lesson_duration} | The lesson length in minutes |
{unsubscribe_url} | A link for the family to opt out of lesson reminders |
Merge fields are case-sensitive. Use exactly the token shown above (with curly braces and lowercase text) — typos will leave the token in the email as-is.
Example:
Hi
{recipient_first_name},Just a reminder that
{student_name}'s lesson is coming up this week. We look forward to seeing you!
When the email is sent, the merge fields are replaced automatically:
Hi Sarah,
Just a reminder that Emma's lesson is coming up this week. We look forward to seeing you!
Editing an Email Template
- Go to Settings > Emails.
- Find the template you want to edit and click on it.
- Make your changes to the name, subject, or body.
- Click Save to update the template.
Sending a Test Email
Before sending a template to your contacts, you can preview how it looks by sending a test email to yourself:
- Open the template you want to test.
- Click Send Test Email.
- The test email will be delivered to your account's email address so you can review the formatting, layout, and content.
Test emails will show the raw merge field placeholders (e.g., {student_name}) since there is no specific student context. This is expected -- the fields will be filled in correctly when you send to real recipients.
System Templates (Customizable)
Conductly has one customizable system template: the Lesson Reminder. You can edit its content, subject line, and merge fields from Settings → Emails & SMS.
The Lesson Reminder is sent automatically before each scheduled lesson to remind students (and optionally guardians) about the upcoming session.
To customize the Lesson Reminder:
- Go to Settings → Emails & SMS.
- Find the System Templates section.
- Open the Lesson Reminder template and edit the content. The system will continue to send it automatically at the configured time before each lesson.
Be careful when editing the Lesson Reminder. Make sure the essential information (lesson date, time, and instructor) is still included. Removing critical details could confuse your families.
Transactional Emails (Automatic, Not Customizable)
Conductly also sends a variety of transactional emails that are not editable as templates — they're sent automatically by Conductly's backend based on system events:
- Welcome — Sent when a new user account is created
- Invite — Sent when an admin invites a new team member or family
- Password Reset — Sent when a user requests a password reset
- Invoice — Sent when an invoice is emailed to a family
- Overdue Invoice — Sent when an invoice is overdue
- Payment Receipt — Sent after a successful payment
- Payment Refund — Sent when a refund is processed
- Payment Method Expiring / Expired / Failed — Sent when a stored card needs attention
You cannot edit the content of transactional emails directly. If you need to change their branding (sender name, reply-to address, school logo), do that in Settings → School Information and Settings → Emails & SMS.
Sending Emails to Students and Guardians
You can send emails from several places in Conductly:
- From a student or guardian's detail page -- Click the email action to compose a message using one of your saved templates.
- From the Groups page -- Select a group and send an email to all members at once.
- From the Inbox -- Reply to notifications or compose new emails directly.
When composing an email:
- Select a template (or start from scratch).
- The merge fields will be pre-filled based on the recipient.
- Review the message and click Send.
Sending emails to a group is a great way to communicate schedule changes, holiday closures, or recital information to everyone at once.
Best Practices
- Keep templates focused. Create separate templates for different purposes rather than one template that tries to do everything.
- Use merge fields. Personalized emails are more effective and feel more professional.
- Preview before sending. Always send a test email to yourself before using a new template with real contacts.
- Update templates seasonally. Review and refresh your templates at the start of each semester to keep information current.