> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.keeping.com/help/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.keeping.com/help/fundamentals/using-templates.md).

# Using Templates

## What are Templates?

Templates where you can store answers to frequently asked questions. This allows for one-click insertion into your Gmail replies.

If your team gets the same questions over and over again, Templates can be a big time saver.  As an admin, it can also help ensure that your team is responding to your customers in a common and consistent way.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Good to know:** Information stored in Templates *is only accessible by your agent&#x73;**.*** It is meant to be an internal resource that your team can modify and share as needed.
{% endhint %}

## Adding a New Entry

Go to your Keeping settings page, and choose **Templates** from the right menu.  In the upper right corner, click **Add New Template**.

<figure><img src="/files/KfIBSNLtAVeTrMhD9JVm" alt="Click Add New Template "><figcaption><p>Click Add New Template </p></figcaption></figure>

Use the **Template Title** field to identify the snippet or question - this will only bee seen by your team.  In the **Template Body,** insert the text you'd like to be able to insert into a Gmail response quickly. &#x20;

<figure><img src="/files/JO1j5Hjhe9T15Ej9SJBT" alt="Enter your answer to later easily insert into a Gmail response."><figcaption><p>Enter your answer to later easily insert into a Gmail response.</p></figcaption></figure>

## Using Variables in Templates

Templates and Auto Replies support the Liquid templating language. You can use Liquid's bracket notation to insert these variables into your templates.

{% hint style="info" %}
Read more about the [Liquid Templating Language](https://shopify.github.io/liquid/basics/introduction/).&#x20;
{% endhint %}

### Customer Information

`{{customer.first_name}}` = The first name of your customer

`{{customer.last_name}}`= The last name of your customer

`{{customer.full_name}}` = The first and last name of your customer

`{{customer.email_address}}` = The email address of your customer

### Mailbox & Ticket Information

`{{mailbox.email_address}}` = The email address of the current mailbox

`{{mailbox.name}}` = The name of the current mailbox, as you've defined it in Keeping

`{{ticket.id}}` = The 10 digit ID of the ticket, for example eq7am42cxs

### Agent Information

`{{agent.first_name}}` = The first name of the agent responding to the ticket

`{{agent.last_name}}` = The last name of the agent responding to the ticket

`{{agent.full_name}}` = The full name of the agent responding to the ticket

### Default Values for Variables

When a value might be absent, you can assign default values to variables using this format: `{{customer.first_name | default: "Customer"}}`

{% hint style="warning" %}
When using templates when composing a New Ticket, `customer.first_name`, `customer.last_name`, and `ticket.id` are not available.
{% endhint %}

## Editing an Entry

On your list of Templates, find your entry and click on it to expand it.  Once expanded, click the pencil icon to edit your question and answer. &#x20;

<figure><img src="/files/bUyzQAQzBXFdRUHBWZ7L" alt="Click the pencil icon to edit a Template answer."><figcaption><p>Click the pencil icon to edit a Template answer.</p></figcaption></figure>

## Adding Images to a Template

You can drag an image into the body of your template (or click the small picture icon) to add images into your template.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Smaller images are better! Including images with a large file size may affect deliverability of your agents' replies.
{% endhint %}

<figure><img src="/files/SqAylFkDzFn3sSDn3XNO" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Organizing Your Templates

### Add labels to organize your templates

You can assign one or more labels to any entry to better organize your Templates.  Once a label is assigned to an entry, you can filter your Templates by that label.&#x20;

### Scope templates to specific mailboxes

By default, every template you create is available in **all** of your mailboxes. If you'd rather restrict a template to one or more specific mailboxes, use the **Mailbox Visibility** picker when editing the template.

* **All** (default) — the template appears in the template picker across every mailbox in your account.
* **Specific mailboxes** — the template only appears in the mailboxes you select. Agents working in other mailboxes won't see it.
* **None** - puts the template in draft status and makes it unavailable.

This is useful when teams share a Keeping account but maintain different inboxes — for example, keeping your `support@` templates separate from your `billing@` templates so agents only see the templates that are relevant to the conversation they're working on.

![Organize your templates by mailbox, label, or both](/files/3mhH9fodWJlFSW505dno)

## Inserting an Entry into a Response

Once you've added an entry to your Templates, insert it into a Gmail response with a few clicks.  When responding to a ticket, click the **lightning bolt** icon to browse your Templates.

![Use the lighting bolt icon to bring up your knowledge base.](/files/ResnNn6aFS0imr92bU0Z)

Choose your response and click the "Insert" button to automatically insert it into the email. Use the "Label" dropdown to filter your answers.

![Insert an Instant Reply into a Gmail reply.](/files/S2EOjJ46fidrB7YGoYg5)
