Customizing Automated Emails to Attendees

There are two ways to customize automated emails, you can either build a custom email directly in RingCentral Events or import custom email text and graphics from an external provider into RingCentral Events.

Start by going into your Event Dashboard > Marketing > Customize Emails.

Once there, hover over the email you would like to work on and you will see some icons appear on the right hand side. Click on the pencil icon to begin editing the email.

In the email editor you will be able to:

1. Review the list of supported pernalization tags to insert variables into your email templates. The tags can be added both to the email subject line and the email body. Refer to this guide to learn more how they work: Liquid Templates in RingCentral Events Emails
2. Customize the default email subject
3. Customize the default email body

Option 1: Customizing Emails in RingCentral Events

By looking at the email body, you may notice that we use HTML table as layout in our default email templates. For example, a button is actually a table cell. You're welcome to use the existing layout or to build a new email from scratch.

In the email body editor, you can find numerous options on how to format your email. The text can be customized directly in the email body. If you're familiar with HTML and CSS, you can click on the Source button to open the email code to add advanced customization. 

Uploading an image

Place the mouse cursor to where you’d like to upload the image in the body of your email. Click on the Image button.

In the pop up window with image properties, you can place an image URL or click on Browse Server to upload an image stored on your device.

You will be brought to a separate tab where you'll need to click Upload to choose an image from your computer. Once the image is uploaded, it will appear on the screen. Click on the image you just uploaded, in our example 'Picture.png'.

You will be automatically brought back to the email editor. The image URL will get populated in the image properties. You can also add an alt text here as well as change image dimensions. Once ready, click OK at the bottom right and the image will be inserted in the email.

Alternatively, you can add an image tag to the URL field in the image properties to populate one of the existing images. Below are the current image tag variables available:

{{event.original_picture}}{{event.medium_picture}} 
{{organiser.medium_picture}}{{organiser.picture}}{{sponsor.logo}} 
{{registration.qr_code_image_url}}

Customizing buttons

By double-clicking on the button in any email editor, you will open the Link properties pop up window. Alternatively, you can place the courser on the button and click on the Link button in the email body editor. 

You can place another supported tag or a direct link to the URL field. The display text can also be changed accordingly.

For example, you may want to use Click to Access Event with the {{extra.redeem_link}} tag that will generate a magic link. Click OK to save the changes.

Below are the current link tag variables available.

{{event.link}}{{event.calendar_link}}{{organiser.website}}
{{extra.redeem_link}}{{extra.delete_link}}{{sponsor.website}} 

Changing the button color

Changing the button colors may be a little more technical but it's OK, we will talk you through it!

In the email editing box, click Source in the top left hand corner. This will bring you to the source code of the email where you'll need to find the CSS code targeting your button. 

In the One hour reminder and One day reminder emails, search for the following code to change the background colour of the button. Replace the highlighted HEX code with your desired colour HEX code. 

If you want to change the hover colour, also, look for this code and do the same.

In the Order Confirmation email, the code looks different so you will need to add the code highlighted by a red box manually. This code will define the color of the Join Event button

Option 2: Import HTML Code from External Email Service Provider

Alternatively, you can build your email in another email service provider (e.g. MailChimp). Then, import your email campaign HTML code into RingCentral Events.

1. Build your email "campaign" in MailChimp

• Add your event details and images into your campaign.
• Change footer background colour from grey to white.
• Do not include any Preview text when building your campaign.
• Insert placeholder hyperlinks in MailChimp that will later become unique RingCentral Events hyperlinks. For example, if you create a button for Magic Links, enter a fake URL on MailChimp like https://INSERTLINKLATER.COM. Then, when editing the email in RingCentral Events, insert the appropriate liquid template e.g.: {{extra.redeem_link}}

2. Publish your MailChimp campaign

• In other words, send yourself the email you created.
• Re-open the campaign; copy the HTML code.

3. Remove preview text code

• In RingCentral Events, open the email you’d like to customize. Click the Source button. Paste in the HTML code you copied from MailChimp.
• On your keyboard, press Control and F, then type in MC_PREVIEW.
• Highlight the below code, then press Delete.
  

  <!--*|IF:MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*-->
  <!--[if !gte mso 9]><!----><span class="mcnPreviewText"
  style="display:none; font-size:0px; line-height:0px; max-height:0px; max-width:0px; 
  opacity:0; overflow:hidden; visibility:hidden; mso-hide:all;">*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*
  </span>
  <!--<![endif]-->
  <!--*|END:IF|*-->

4. Remove MailChimp footer

• Click the Source button again (you should now see the contents of your email, not the HTML code). Scroll to the bottom of the email and delete the contents of the footer.

5. Replace placeholder hyperlinks with RingCentral Events liquid template tags

• Highlight text that you'd like to hyperlink as a Magic Link, attendee name, etc.

• Click the link icon to edit the hyperlink.

  

• Delete the placeholder hyperlink you included in MailChimp.

• Type in the liquid template tag you'd like to use. Change the Protocol to <other>.

• Here is a list of supported tags you can use in a RingCentral Events email: https://shopify.github.io/liquid/.

• This is how your link input screen should look:

Saving changes

Once you're done with all the changes, it's time to save your customized email template. 

Click the blue Update & Preview button at the bottom of the email editor. 

In the email preview, you can:

1. Send test email
   
   Note: You can select yourself or another registered Organizer of the event, but you will still receive the preview email, it will just be displayed as it would be to the person you've selected.
2. Come back to editing if you need to customize the email further
3. Save template if you're satisfied with your email preview and would like to save the changes
   
   Note: You must click Save Template to save your email, otherwise attendees will receive the default email or your previously saved version.

To verify your customized email has been saved correctly, revisit the Customize Emails page in your Event Dashboard and find the email you edited. If the Status says Enabled - Custom email, then you're all set! If the email status is Enabled - Unsaved Changes, you'll need to Update & Preview and Save Template (as per the steps above).

That's it! Your custom email is now ready to go!