An autoresponder is an email Tender sends to a customer as soon as they start a new discussion, by email or on your site. Use it to say you've received their request, set expectations for a reply, and point them at knowledge base articles that might already answer it.
Each category can have one autoresponder. Categories without one send nothing.
Create an autoresponder
- In your dashboard, go to Account & Settings › Email Setup, then Autoresponders in the sidebar.
- Click Create your first autoresponder (or + Create autoresponder).
- Edit the Email subject and the Message. Both start with Tender's default, so you only need to change what you want; at least replace the word
COMPANYwith your company's name. - Under Categories, tick the categories it's for.
- Click Save autoresponder.
If you tick a category that already has another autoresponder, Tender moves the category to this one. A category list showing Inactive means the autoresponder isn't used by any category.
Click Preview → beside an autoresponder to see how it looks to a customer named Joe Smith, in plain text and in HTML.
Variables
Autoresponders are written in Liquid: put a variable in double braces, such as {{name}}, and Tender fills it in for each customer.
| Variable | What it holds |
|---|---|
{{name}} |
The customer's name (or a name made from their email address) |
{{email}} |
The customer's email address |
{{title}} |
The discussion's title |
{{url}} |
The link to the discussion |
{{number}} |
The discussion's number in its category |
{{category}} |
The category's short name, as in its web address (problems) |
{{created_at}} |
When the discussion was started |
{{suggested_faqs}} |
Knowledge base articles that match the customer's message: a list, each with title, url and section |
The default message lists the suggested articles like this, and only when there are some:
{% if suggested_faqs != empty %}You might find the answer in these articles:
{% for faq in suggested_faqs %}- "{{ faq.title }}" at {{ faq.url }}
{% endfor %}{% endif %}
Dates can be shown in your time zone and format with the set_time_zone and date filters: {{ created_at | set_time_zone: 'America/New_York' | date: "%b %d at %I:%M %p" }}.
HTML and plain text
Every autoresponder has a plain-text Message. Plans with custom branding also get an HTML body, which most mail programs show instead; the plain-text version is for the rest. If you edit one, update the other to match.
Good to know
- An autoresponder goes to the customer who started the discussion, not to your staff.
- To protect your customers' inboxes, Tender sends the same person at most three autoresponses in five minutes.
- Replies to a discussion don't trigger the autoresponder; email templates control those notifications.