Templates
Templates are the core of how Sendbird Business Messaging works. These pre-formatted, customizable message designs allow brands to send personalized notifications through multiple channels by building and using multiple templates for each channel. Templates can be created and customized on Sendbird Dashboard without writing code. This allows non-engineers such as, product managers and marketers, to easily compose up to 100 different templates and send notifications that fit the right use case needs.
Note: To create and manage templates with RESTful API, see our server-side guide on Templates.
How it works
As templates are the starting point for Business Messaging, create a template on Sendbird Dashboard before sending and receiving the notification. When creating a template, you can select which type of channel you want to create a template for and in which sequence you'd like to send messages through each channel. See the create templates and Sequence guides for detailed instructions.
Note: If you wish to use a new channel dedicated to a specific use case, create a new channel first in the Channels page and then create a template for it.
Create templates on the dashboard
To create or edit a template on Sendbird Dashboard, select your Sendbird application and navigate to Business Messaging > Templates. When creating or editing a template, the available fields depend on which channel type and how many channel types you have selected for the template.
For example, if you set multiple channel types for a template, you can set up the sequence for these channels.
You can also duplicate the existing template and create a new one for all created templates.
Note: Templates for KakaoTalk must go through a review process by the service provider every time the template is created or edited.
Step 1 Basic information
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Go to Business Messaging > Templates and click Create template+ button.
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Fill in all the information:
Required
| Fields | Description |
|---|---|
Name | Specify a human readable name of the template. Automatically filled in with the value you've set when created the channel. |
Key | Specify a unique ID for this template. Automatically filled in with the value you've set when created the channel. |
Channel | List a set of channel types associated with the template. To learn more about omni-channel notification, see the Channels page. |
Category | Use this as a filter to narrow the search scope of the notifications rendered. This is optional and can be configured per channel. By default SBM creates Updates, Promotions, and Announcements, but these can be configured by accessing Business Messaging > Channels > In-app channel > Category filters. |
Permission | Which Sendbird Organization roles should have access to this template. To learn more, see our guide on permissions |
Message retention | Specify how many days notification messages sent through this template should exist. Acceptable values are between 1 and 180. This feature provides teams with the capability to define how long notifications are retained, tailored to each template's specific needs. Adjustable on the Sendbird Dashboard, this ensures that messages are kept for a period that aligns with business requirements and operational strategies while keeping a user’s notification center clear of clutter. |
Label | On the UI, it is an additional text that can be displayed at the top left of the notification message. Enable this functionality at the channel level. |
Alternative text | If push notification is set to off, specify an alt text for the notification message. This will be used when displaying the notification preview in your channel list. |
- Select a channel type from in-app messaging, push notifications, and KakaoTalk Alim Talk. Refer to the following instructions for more information on each channel type:
Note: If you have selected more than two channel types for one template, you can also set up the sequence and determine the order of message timing for each channel. To learn more about how to use Sequence, see our guide on Sequence.
Step 2 Template editor
Once you selected a set of channel types to link to the template, you can edit the message layout and content for each channel using Template editor.
Inside of the Template editor, you’ll be able to customize each element of your template such as padding, font size, color, alignment and so forth. Some aspects of the template design will be controlled by the global theme.
Refer to the following instructions on each channel type:
In-app message
- Go to Edit.
- Fill in all fields under Components and adjust the alignment of them.
Push notification
- Go to Edit.
- Fill in all fields under Content and Data.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
Title | This is the title of the push notification. Variables can also be used for the body. |
Body | This is the body content of the SMS. Variables can also be used for the body. |
Data | The list of key-value items you've set to the Push Notification channel. They can contain custom data sent to the client SDK which are not visible in the push notification's title or body. This data, in the form of deep links, entity keys, localization keys, etc., can be used to execute specific actions or direct the user to particular app content upon interacting with the notification. |
- Click Done to create a template.
- Go to Create Template and fill in the template information with your WhatsApp channel.
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To customize your template, click Edit in the Design section.
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In the Design page, you can select your WhatsApp message template’s Category. Once you have picked a template category, design your message template for the WhatsApp channel by filling in the variables. When it's completed, click Done.
- After saving a template, a pop-up will appear, informing you that your WhatsApp templates will require approval from Meta. Template approvals are automated and can be approved within 24 hours. To learn more, refer to Meta's guide
- Once Meta has approved your template, you can send a WhatsApp message with the template. The review status will vary as described below.
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
In-Review | Indicates that the template is still under review. Review can take up to 24 hours. |
Rejected | The template has been rejected during our review process or violates one or more of our policies. See Appeals. |
Active - Quality pending | The message template has yet to receive quality feedback or read-rate information from customers. Message templates with this status can be sent to customers. See Quality Rating. |
Active - High Quality | The template has received little to no negative customer feedback. Message templates with this status can be sent to customers. See Quality Rating. |
Active - Medium Quality | The template has received negative feedback from multiple customers, or low read-rates, but may soon become paused or disabled. Message templates with this status can be sent to customers. See Quality Rating. |
Active - Low Quality | The template has received negative feedback from multiple customers, or low read-rates. Message templates with this status can be sent to customers but are in danger of being paused or disabled soon, so we recommend that you address the issues that customers are reporting. See Quality Rating. |
Paused | The template has been paused due to recurring negative feedback from customers, or low read-rates. Message templates with this status cannot be sent to customers. See Template Pausing. |
Disabled | The template has been disabled due to recurring negative feedback from customers. Message templates with this status cannot be sent to customers. |
Appeal Requested | Indicates that an appeal has been requested. See Appeals. |
Note: Once a WhatsApp template is Approved, WhatsApp templates cannot be edited. WhatsApp templates can only be edited in Rejected, Paused, or Disabled status. To learn more about WhatsApp templates approval process, refer to WhatsApp Message Template Guidelines.
KakaoTalk
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Go to Edit.
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Customize your template by completing the formats provided. To learn more about how to create KakaoTalk templates, see KakaoTalk’s template creation guide.
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Click Done to create a template.
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As for KakaoTalk, your template must go through a review process. KakaoTalk template review process will take up to 2 business days for a result once submitted for review.
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
In review | This KakaoTalk template is being reviewed and cannot be used. |
Approved | This KakaoTalk template has been approved and can be used. |
Rejected | This KakaoTalk template has been rejected and cannot be used. |
- Once a KakaoTalk template is Approved, you can still make further edits. However, any changes will revert the template's status from Approved to In Review, indicating that it has been submitted again for approval. Notifications that are already in process will continue to be sent, but you won't be able to send new notifications with this template until it receives approval again. To learn more about KakaoTalk templates approval process, see KakaoTalk’s template approval guide.
Template variables
Variables are an important aspect of building templates. They're the customizable parts of the template that you can change each time you send a notification. There are three different types of variables that Sendbird Business Messaging provides.
| Variable type | Description |
|---|---|
String | Specifies the texts used in the body of the template and the text buttons. These texts are subject to change each time the notification is sent. The string variable is shown as a text field in the Sendbird Business Messaging Builder. You can assign a value to the key of the variable before sending the notification. |
Image | Specifies the images used in the template. These images are subject to change each time the notification is sent. The image variable is shown as an image URL field in the Sendbird Business Messaging Builder. You can assign a value to the key of the variable before sending the notification. |
Action | Specifies the actions to execute when a UI component in the template is tapped on the mobile app. These actions are subject to change each time the notification is sent. The action variable is shown as a drop-down menu containing two action types and a URL field in the Sendbird Business Messaging Builder. You can assign two different types of action values to the variable key: Web link and In-app link. |
To see how to set variables in a template using the API, refer to a guide on how to send a notification through Platform API.
Note: You can also set variables for all channels and when you create a variable in one template, you can use the same variables in other templates.
Limitations
Templates can be edited at any time to update their appearance and content though there are a few limitations to note:
- Variables cannot be added, removed or edited once the template has been created.
- The key cannot be changed.
- Any changes that are made will only apply to notifications sent with the template after the changes. These changes are not retroactive.
Render messages with templates
To see if your notification's been successfully sent, install Sendbird Chat UIKit for Business Messaging to render a notification channel in your app. Sendbird Business Messaging currently supports two mobile platforms: iOS and Android.