Auxo Workshop includes a set of default communication templates covering common scenarios such as booking reminders and vehicle pickup notifications. You can use these as-is, customise them, or create your own from scratch.
Templates save time by eliminating the need to write messages from scratch each time, and ensure your communications are consistent across your team.
📍 Where to Find Communication Templates
Open the side menu and go to Settings
Select Templates
Stay on the Communication tab. The Fixed Services tab is for service templates, not messages.
Finding a Template
Use the Search box to find a template by name, or narrow the list with the filters above it:
Category: Show templates for one category only
Output: Show only email templates or only SMS templates
System Templates: Choose whether to show the templates that come with Auxo Workshop
Defaults: Choose Show Only to list just your default templates
✏️ Creating or Editing a Template
To edit an existing template, select it from the list
To create a template, select + New Template and choose whether it will be an SMS or Email template
💡 Tip: To save time, click the three dots on an existing template and choose Copy to use it as a starting point.
Template Fields
Template Name: A descriptive name to identify the template in the selection panel when sending
Type: SMS or Email
Category: Determines which screens the template is available from when sending. See Categories below.
Mark as Default: Sets this template as the default for its category and type. The default template is pre-selected when you open the Send SMS or Send Email screen from the relevant area of the system. See Setting a Default Template below.
Subject: Email templates only. The subject line of the email. Merge fields can be used here.
Message: The body of the template. Merge fields can be inserted here.
Setting a Default Template
Each category can have one default email template and one default SMS template. This means you can have your own default email and your own default SMS for the same category at the same time, for example a custom Job email and a custom Job SMS.
Select the template you want to use as the default
Turn on Mark as default
Select Update to save
Default templates show a star in the template list. When you mark a template as default, a message appears under the switch to let you know it will replace the current default. The template that was the default before is no longer the default for that category and type.
📝 Note: Setting an email template as the default does not change the default SMS template for that category, and the other way around.
🗂️ Categories
The category determines where the template appears when sending. The available categories are:
Job: Available when sending from a job or booking
Estimate: Available when sending from an estimate
Invoice: Available when sending from an invoice
Customer: Available when sending from a customer record
Vehicle: Available when sending from a vehicle record
Reminder: Available when sending service or booking reminders
Online Booking: Used for online booking confirmation messages
Purchase Order: Available when sending from a purchase order
Pro Forma: Available when sending from a pro forma invoice
@ Using Merge Fields (Placeholders)
Merge fields are placeholders that automatically populate with real data when a message is sent, such as the customer's name, vehicle details, or booking date. They are what make a template personalised without requiring manual editing each time.
The default templates included with Auxo Workshop already contain correctly inserted merge fields. If you are using a default template and a field is not populating in a sent message, check that the relevant details are saved on the customer or vehicle record rather than re-inserting the fields.
How to Insert a Merge Field
There are two ways to insert a merge field into a template:
Click from the Placeholders list: A list of available merge fields is displayed below the message editor. Click any field to insert it at the current cursor position.
Type @ in the message body: An autosuggest dropdown will appear. Start typing the field name to filter the list, then select the field to insert it.
In both cases, the inserted merge field displays as a styled pill in the editor, which confirms it is a real merge field and not plain text.
⚠️ Important: Typing @ followed by a field name manually, without selecting from the dropdown or placeholders list, will not create a working merge field. The text will appear as typed in the sent message rather than being replaced with the actual value.
Available Merge Fields
The merge fields available vary by category. The full list for each category is shown in the Placeholders panel below the message editor when editing a template.
The following merge fields are available for the Job category:
@BookingDate: The date of the booking or job
@Registration: The vehicle registration
@Year: The vehicle year
@Make: The vehicle make
@Model: The vehicle model
@CustomerFullName: The customer's full name
@CustomerFirstName: The customer's first name
@CompanyName: The customer's company name
@OnlineBookingLink: A link to your online booking page
@OnlineBookingButton: An inline button linking to your online booking page
@UserName: The name of the staff member sending the message
@WorkshopName: Your workshop name
@WorkshopPhoneNumber: Your workshop phone number
@WorkshopEmail: Your workshop email address
@WorkshopAddress: Your workshop address
If a Merge Field Is Not Populating
If a merge field is blank in a sent message, check the following:
The relevant field is saved on the customer or vehicle record, for example Make and Model are saved on the vehicle
The placeholder was inserted from the dropdown or placeholders list, not typed manually
The correct template category was selected for the screen you sent from
💬 SMS Templates: Customer Replies
Customers can reply directly to SMS messages sent from Auxo Workshop. Reply notifications appear on the bell icon at the top right of the screen. Selecting a notification takes you to the customer's Communication History where you can view the full conversation.
It is good practice to mention in your SMS templates that customers can reply directly to the message.
📖 Read more in the SMS Messaging article.