Group Send Should Leverage Full Template Builder

​@bradley – so glad you’re one of the early testers here.

Agreed 100% – those of us building emails across Gainsight properties see VASTLY different editors depending on where we’re building. For reference, see the screenshot below of the CC theme for our CC email campaigns. I’ve built similar emails for the system emails there, but had to learn enough to use Dreamweaver to modify the pre-existing Gainsight default system emails to adapt them for our use.

I understand that the email platform for CC (formerly inSided) is a different system from the template builder in CS, but there needs to be a middle ground for Group Send users who aren’t normally creating email templates, and don’t need permissions for other areas (and shouldn’t be able to edit templates in other parts of CS).

Even giving the option to use an email theme when composing Group Send emails would be a huge win, so templates developed by other users would have the same branding as standard JO email templates, without having to worry *too much* about things being sent out of brand.

​@bradley 

The idea is to let CSMs handle simple layout emails independently using the email builder available through Group Send — it’s designed to be simple and requires minimal knowledge/training.

For more heavily customized or branded emails, admins can create templates and make them available for CSMs to use.

Honestly, the idea of CSxs having the ability to add tokens to Group Send emails (and have access to versions) is a bit concerning. As an admin with knowledge of what data we do (and do not have) and what it looks like, I’m comfortable using the email template builder and including tokens where appropriate, and mapping the different email versions.

It feels like we should be able to permission certain users in our CS org to access the full template builder (contingent upon training) to build templates for the rest of the CS team to implement in Group Send, maybe with the ability to edit a cloned template (with certain features locked, such as the ability to add new tokens/images/etc. or map versions).

This still feels like a miss to me. If I don’t want end users making email templates, then I won’t give them permission to do so. If they’re going to be trusted with this feature AND building their own templates, at least let them build ones that look good.

The no training/simple issue ship has already sailed, in my opinion, if they have access to this feature. It is even farther out to sea if they can build any template. Suddenly they need to know and understand operational vs. non-operational, how the opt out pages are configured, etc.

All I’m saying is that *if* end users are going to get access to a template builder, they should have access to the full featured one so they have the opportunity to make emails that look good, and are consistent with the brand.

If the concern is complexity, give them a toggle between simple<>advanced.

If there are concerns about giving access to the full builder as well, keep it behind a group send permission set but make it so if they have that access, they can use the “advanced” builder from the group send feature with the toggle to hide it if they can’t be bothered to use it.