How to import sample message templates

Sample message templates give your agency a head start with pre-built auto messages and flows for common court communication scenarios. You browse them by use case, import the ones you want, and finish them in the normal auto message or flow editor.

### Overview

The **Sample Templates** tab opens on a screen headed **Template Starter**, with the instruction "Choose a use case to browse pre-built templates for auto messages and flows." It works in three stages: choose a use case, review the samples in that use case, then import a sample as it is or send it through AI customization first.

- The use case cards cover **Court Date Reminders**, **Payment & Fines**, **Case Updates**, **Event Notifications**, **Client Onboarding**, **Document Requests**, **Compliance & Supervision**, **Probation & Parole**, **Jury Duty**, **Victim Notifications**, **Warrants & FTA**, and **General Communications**.
- A separate **Best Practices Templates** row sits above them, provided by ideas42 and built on behavioral research aimed at court appearance rates. It holds **Criminal Court Reminders**, **JP Court & Citations**, and **Court Operations**, and each card carries a **Best Practices** badge.
- Every use case includes auto message samples. All but **Court Operations** also include flow samples, so an **Auto Messages** heading, a **Flows** heading, or both appear once you open a use case.
- The samples are built into eCourtDate. Importing copies a sample into your agency, and nothing you do here changes the sample library.
- A breadcrumb at the top of the screen tracks where you are: **Templates**, then the use case name, then the template name.

### Prerequisites

Before importing sample templates, make sure you have:

- Access to **Admin** > **Messaging** and the **Sample Templates** tab
- Permission to create auto messages and flows in your agency
- An agency phone and email set up in **Admin** > **Settings** > **Agency Phones** and **Agency Emails** if you plan to import flows, since the flow editor asks you to select an **Agency Phone** and an **Agency Email**
- The languages your agency uses selected under **Languages** in **Admin** > **Settings** if you plan to translate imported content

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Open the Sample Templates tab

1. Click **Admin** in the top navigation bar.
2. Select **Messaging** from the dropdown menu.
3. Click the **Sample Templates** tab.
4. Confirm the page shows the **Template Starter** heading and a grid of use case cards.

#### Step 2: Choose a use case

1. Review the **Best Practices Templates** row at the top of the page.
2. Read the short description on each card to find the closest match for the messages you need.
3. Click the card for the use case you want.
4. Check the heading that appears, which repeats the use case name and description.
5. Click the back arrow to the left of that heading, or **Templates** in the breadcrumb, to return to the full list.

#### Step 3: Review the samples in that use case

1. Read the cards under **Auto Messages**. Each card shows the template name, a badge with the trigger it uses, and the full English message.
2. Read the cards under **Flows**. Each flow card shows the template name, a badge with the number of messages, and every message with its trigger and, where the sample sets one, its timing before or after the trigger date.
3. Decide whether to import a sample unchanged or customize it first.

#### Step 4: Import a sample as it is

1. Click **Import** on the auto message or flow you want.
2. Wait while the page creates the record. Both **Customize** and **Import** stay disabled during the import.
3. Land on the new record. An auto message opens in the auto message editor, and a flow opens in the flow editor after a "Flow imported" confirmation.
4. Return to **Admin** > **Messaging** > **Sample Templates** when you want to import another sample.

#### Step 5: Rewrite a sample with AI before importing

1. Click **Customize** on the sample card. The screen headed **Customize:** followed by the template name opens.
2. Read the **Original Template** panel on the left, which shows the sample exactly as it will import.
3. Click one of the quick suggestions (**Make it shorter**, **More formal tone**, **More friendly tone**, **Add urgency**, or **Simplify language**) to start a rewrite immediately.
4. Or enter your own instruction in the box under **AI Customization** and click **Customize with AI**.
5. Compare the rewritten text that appears below the box against the original.
6. Click **Import Customized** to import an auto message with the rewritten text, **Import Original** to import the sample unchanged, or **Copy** to put either version on your clipboard.

#### Step 6: Finish an imported auto message

1. Edit **Name** so the record matches your agency's naming convention.
2. Confirm the **Trigger** matches the workflow you want.
3. Edit **English Subject** and **English Template** to match your agency's wording.
4. Click **Show Languages**, then click **Auto Translate All** to fill in your other selected languages.
5. Set **Delay** and **Delay to Business Hours** in the **Scheduling** card.
6. Check the **Simulate Mode** box while you test, so no real messages go out.
7. Click **Save**.

#### Step 7: Finish an imported flow

1. Review **Flow Name**, **Flow Reference**, and **Type** in the flow settings card.
2. Select the **Agency Phone** and **Agency Email** the flow sends from.
3. Click **Save** on the flow settings card.
4. Click **Edit Message** on the first message in the **Flow Messages** list.
5. Review the trigger and timing fields, then edit **Subject Line** and **Message Body**.
6. Click **Save**, then repeat for each remaining message.

### What to Expect

An imported auto message arrives with the sample's name, trigger, English subject and template, a **Delay** of 0 minutes, and **Simulate Mode** switched off, so it can send the next time its trigger fires. An imported flow arrives with its name, flow reference, type, and every message in the sequence, including each message's trigger and timing. Only the English content comes across in both cases, so run **Auto Translate All** on an auto message or **Auto Translate All Languages** on a flow message to add your other languages.

### Best Practices

- **Check Simulate Mode first.** Imports are live records, not drafts. Turn on **Simulate Mode** on the new auto message while you review the wording.
- **Rename right away.** Every import uses the sample's name, so importing the same sample twice gives you two identically named records until you rename them.
- **Watch for the Unknown tags warning.** The auto message editor lists any merge tag that is not in your agency's merge tag list in red under the template.
- **Start from the Best Practices Templates row for appearance reminders.** Those sequences are written around behavioral research on reducing failures to appear.
- **Import one sample at a time.** Each import sends you to the new record, so finish it before going back for the next one.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Does importing a sample send messages to clients right away?**

A: Not at the moment of import, but the new auto message keeps the sample's trigger and **Simulate Mode** is off, so it can send the next time that trigger fires. Turn on **Simulate Mode** on the new record if you are not ready to send.

**Q: Can I import the same sample more than once?**

A: Yes. Each click of **Import** creates a separate record, which is useful when you want variations for different courts or case types.

**Q: Does the AI rewrite apply when I import a flow?**

A: No. **Customize** rewrites the flow's message text for review, but **Import Customized** imports the flow's original messages. Click **Copy** and paste the rewritten text into **Message Body** on the flow message after importing.

**Q: Why does a use case show no Flows section?**

A: That use case has only auto message samples. **Court Operations** is the one example today, so the **Flows** heading does not appear when you open it.

**Q: Can I pull sample content into a flow message I am already editing?**

A: Yes, once the flow has a **Type** selected. Click **Import Sample** in the **Message Content** section of the flow message editor to fill **Subject Line** and **Message Body** with a sample written for that **Type**.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The **Sample Templates** tab is missing from the **Messaging** page.

**Symptoms:** You reach **Admin** > **Messaging** but no tab strip appears, or the strip is missing **Sample Templates**.

**Solution:**

1. Open **Preferences** from your name in the top right and clear **Top Navigation** if you are a super admin, since any entry selected there hides the page tab strip.
2. Ask a super admin to check **Hidden Navigations** on your role in **Admin** > **Users** > **Roles**, which hides individual tabs.

**Issue:** The **Customize with AI** button will not click.

**Symptoms:** The button stays greyed out on the **Customize** screen.

**Solution:**

1. Enter an instruction in the box under **AI Customization**. The button stays disabled while the box is empty.
2. Wait for a rewrite in progress to finish. The button reads **Generating...** and stays disabled until the response arrives.

**Issue:** The imported auto message shows a red "Unknown tags" warning.

**Symptoms:** Bracketed tag names are listed under **English Template** after importing.

**Solution:**

1. Open the **Merge Tags** dropdown above the template and compare the listed tags with the ones in the message.
2. Replace or delete any tag that your agency does not collect.
3. Click **Save**.

**Issue:** The imported flow shows a blank **Type**.

**Symptoms:** **Type** is empty on the **New Client Welcome**, **Document Collection**, **Supervision Check-In**, **Compliance Deadlines**, **Probation Onboarding**, and **Post-Event Follow-Up** flows, and **Import Sample** does not appear on the flow message editor.

**Solution:**

1. Select the closest option from **Type**. The list offers event, payment, case, warrant, form, file, and task.
2. Click **Save**.

### Related Articles

- [How to Create an Auto Message](/how-to-create-an-auto-message)
- [How to Create a Flow](/how-to-create-a-flow)
- [How to Use Merge Tags](/how-to-use-merge-tags)
- [How to use ai generator](/how-to-use-ai-generator)
- [How to preview message templates](/how-to-preview-message-templates)