Customizing email templates

Personalize your client email notifications with customized templates.

Customize email templates to send different messages for different appointment types, to turn certain email notifications off for certain appointment types, or to make your email notifications match the rest of your branding.

When your clients get automated email notifications, the content is based on your template, with updated appointment-specific and client-specific information pulled into the message automatically.

Most email notifications start with a default template that's ready to use, and some transactional notifications can’t be customized.

Customized templates are a great way to communicate anything from driving directions to refund policies.

Customers on a trial plan or the legacy free plan can’t customize these notifications.

Note: The instructions below include links to Acuity settings separated by the kind of account you use to log into Acuity. Which kind of account do I have?

Edit email templates 

The steps to open an email template for editing differ slightly depending on which type of email you want to edit:

To edit templates for most email types:

1. In Acuity, click Client Email.
2. Click the email template you want to edit.

To edit reminder or follow-up email templates:

1. In Acuity, click Client Email.
2. Click Reminders or Follow-ups.

3. Click the tab for the reminder email or follow-up email you want to edit.

   

Content you can edit

You can change the following email template elements:

• Use the Email subject field to edit the subject line. You can use both text and tags here.
• Click the text field to edit the message body. Type to add text, or use the editing toolbar to add images, buttons, and tags. You can also use the toolbar to change the font, formatting, and color. Click the </> symbol to edit the message body's HTML.
• Edit existing buttons by clicking the button, then Edit. You can change what the button says and the link it leads to. To delete an existing button, highlight its text, then press the Delete key.
• After you’re done making changes, click Save.

Preview your template in mobile view

For booking confirmation, reschedule confirmation, and cancellation confirmation emails, it's possible to view the preview of your message in computer or mobile mode. To toggle between the two modes, click the computer and mobile icons in the top-right corner.

Add appointment information with tags

You can add tags to an email template to pull in appointment information, like a client's name, the appointment date, or the appointment type description. Email templates also use tags that pull in your client's intake form responses. You can enter tags manually, or click the Insert field and choose a tag from the list.

Attach a copy of your client’s forms

You can attach a copy of your client’s forms to the automated booking confirmation emails Acuity sends. Learn how form attachments work.

To attach a form:

1. Open an email template for editing.
2. Click Attach Form, then choose a form from the dropdown menu.
3. The form attachment will be added to the bottom of your template.
4. Click Save to save your changes.

Replace calendar invitations

By default, booking confirmation, reminder, and reschedule confirmation email templates include calendar buttons your clients can use to add their appointments to their calendars.

If you've removed these buttons, you can add them back using the Add Button dropdown menu. You can also use tags to add calendar invitations that take the form of links instead of buttons.

It's not possible to customize the content of these invitations. If an appointment is rescheduled, your client will need to add the updated event information to their calendar using the invitation in their rescheduling email.

Content limitations

• Images added to email templates need to be .jpg, .gif, or .png, and the file size limit is 1.5 MB.
• Email templates don’t support attachments. This helps keep your emails from being marked as spam. Instead, add the content to a page on your site and link to it.
• Email templates don’t support CSS.
• Email templates can't be renamed. The names are for internal use only, and clients aren't shown the template names.

Revert to the default template

The steps to open an email template for editing differ slightly depending on email type.

Confirmation emails

To revert to the default email template for booking confirmation, reschedule confirmation, and cancellation confirmation email templates:

1. Open the template for editing.
2. Click ... near the top-right corner.
3. Click Reset to Default Template, then click Reset to confirm. This permanently deletes the customized template.

Most other email types

To revert to the default email template for all other email types, except for follow-up emails:

1. Open the template for editing.previous​ corner.
2. In the bottom-right corner, click Use Default Template, then click OK to confirm. This permanently deletes the customized template.
3. Click Save to exit.

Note: If you click Close to exit, you'll get a warning that you have unsaved changes. Even if you click Discard to reverse your changes, your template will remain reverted to the default template. After clicking OK to confirm, it's not possible to undo a reversion.

Follow-up emails

The default template for follow-up emails has a completely blank body. You can use the Use the Default Template button to wipe the slate clean while editing, but you need to add content to the email body to save the template. If you revert and then exit without adding new content, your prior follow-up email template will be restored.

Customize templates by appointment type

By having multiple templates for the same appointment type, you can customize which message clients receive based on the appointment type they booked.

It's not possible to have more than one template for the following: 

• package/gift certificate receipt
• appointment receipt
• subscription receipt
• Subscription cancellation

Create a new template

The steps for creating a new template vary depending on the email type.

Confirmation emails

To create another template for booking confirmation, reschedule confirmation, and cancellation confirmation emails:

1. In Acuity, click Client Emails.
2. In the top-right corner, click Create.
3. Click Booking Confirmation, Cancellation Confirmation, or Reschedule Confirmation.
4. In the Sent For section, check the appointment types that should be assigned to your new template.
5. Edit your template to add the content you want.
6. Click Create. If you're assigning appointment types from a different template to your new template, click Yes, Turn It On to confirm.

Reminders and Follow-ups

To create another template for reminder or follow-up emails:

1. In Acuity, click Client Emails.
2. In the top-right corner, click Create.
3. Click Reminder or Follow-up.
4. If you send multiple reminder or follow-up emails for each appointment, click the tab for the correct reminder or follow-up.
5. Click Add New Template.
6. Check the appointment types that should be assigned to your new template, then click Select.
7. Edit your template to add the content you want.
8. Click Save in the top-right corner.

Duplicate an existing template

If you've already created a custom template for certain email templates, you can use it as a starting point for your next custom template, rather than starting from scratch.

To duplicate a template for booking confirmation, reschedule confirmation, or cancellation confirmation emails:

1. In Acuity, click Client Email.
2. Click ... for the template you want to duplicate, then click Duplicate.
3. Make whatever edits to the content you want, and use the Send For box to choose which appointment types are assigned to your new template.
4. Click Create. If you've chosen one or more appointment types that are already assigned to a template, click Yes, Turn It On to confirm that you want to reassign them to the new template.

It's not possible to duplicate a template for reminder or follow-up emails.

Assign an appointment type to a different template

You can change which template is associated with a specific appointment type. The steps vary depending on email type.

Confirmation emails

To assign an appointment type to a different email template for booking confirmation, reschedule confirmation, or cancellation confirmation emails:

1. In Acuity, click Client Email.
2. Click the template that you want to use for the appointment type.
3. In the Sent For section, check the box for the appointment type.
4. Click Save in the top-right corner, then click Yes, Turn It On to confirm.

Reminders and follow-ups

To assign an appointment type to a different email template for reminder or follow-up emails:

1. In Acuity, click Client Email.
2. Click Reminders or Follow-ups.
3. If you send more than one reminder or follow-up, click the tab for the correct reminder or follow-up.
4. On the left side of the page, there are boxes for each template. Find the name of the appointment type you want to reassign, then grab it with your mouse and drag it to the box for the template you want to reassign it to.

Delete a template

The steps to delete a template vary depending on email type.

Confirmation emails

To delete a template for a booking confirmation, reschedule confirmation, or cancellation confirmation email:

1. In Acuity, click Client Email.
2. For the template you want to delete, click ....
3. Click Delete, then click Delete again to confirm. This permanently deletes the  template.

Reminders and Follow-ups

To delete a template for a reminder or follow-up email:

1. In Acuity, click Client Email.
2. Click Reminder or Follow-up.
3. If you send multiple reminders or follow-ups, click the tab for the correct one.
4. On the left side of the page, find the box for the template you want to delete.
5. Remove all appointment types assigned to the template. You can click and drag them to a different template, or to the Inactive Types box, if you don't want this email sent for a particular appointment type.
6. Click Remove this template. This permanently deletes the template.
7. Exit by clicking Save or Close.

Stop sending email notifications

You can stop sending email notifications for any or all of your appointment types. The steps vary depending on email type.

Note: Disabling an email notification for clients will disable the same notification for you and your staff.

Confirmation emails

To stop sending an automated booking confirmation, reschedule confirmation or cancellation confirmation email for a specific appointment type:

1. In Acuity, click Client Email.
2. Click the template to which the appointment type is currently assigned.
3. In the Sent For box, uncheck the appointment type.
4. Click Save in the top-right.

Reminders and follow-ups

To stop sending an automated follow-up or reminder email for a specific appointment type:

1. In Acuity, click Client Email.
2. If you send multiple reminders or follow-ups, click the tab for the correct one.
3. On the left side of the page, find the appointment type name.
4. Use your mouse to click and drag it to the Inactive Types box.
5. Exit by clicking Save or Close.