We just uploaded a new feature to http://www.thecustomerfactor.com that allow you to send out emails in either text format or HTML format. Prior to this feature release it was only possible to send “text only” emails to your prospects and customers.

If you choose the “HTML” option when sending an email, it means you can “pretty up” your emails by inserting a logo/images, use color, change font characteristics (bold, italics, size, style), center your text, insert hyperlinks, and much more.

This new HTML functionality is available for any email that you send, whether it be invoices, estimates, payment reminders, statements, or general/broadcast emails.

We’ll go ahead and look in an “Email Invoice” window so that I can show you where the option is:

You’ll see the “Text” option chosen, but if you’ve created a default email in HTML format, then that is the option that would be selected and the HTML email would display in the message area.

Let’s go ahead and take a look in the email settings window which is where we can create additional email templates. See the “email settings” link in the screenshot above (1st paragraph)? Let’s click the link and we’ll have this window open up:

You’ll see that I created a 2nd invoice email template in this settings window in HTML format. With any HTML email you create, you’ll have an editor area available as you can see above where you can format the email to suit your taste.

What I did was increase the font size, bolded and italicized some of the text, and changed the font style. I also could have inserted a logo or image or added some color to the email if I wanted to. Again, the HTML email option allows you to spiffy up your emails instead of just sending a regular text email.

You’ll notice how I made this HTML email the “default” email (look to the right of the subject line and you’ll see “Default Template” selected). So what will appear when I first open up the “Email Invoice” window to send this customer an invoice would be this:

Pretty cool?

And please keep in mind that this particular update only shows you screenshots of email windows that are related to invoices. As mentioned earlier, you can choose to send emails in HTML format for invoices, estimates, statements, payment reminders, and general emails.

I’d like to close by mentioning one thing about HTML emails. The reason why we didn’t introduce an HTML feature initially when we first introduced all of our email functionality is because Text emails are easier to get through most spam filters. Emails are not guaranteed to arrive as they once were because spam filters are getting more strict.

What this means in a nutshell is that if an email is in HTML format it might trigger the spam filter of the person you’re sending the email to which may send it to their junk folder. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s just something to be aware of. So if you send an HTML email to someone and they say that they didn’t receive it, please ask them to check their junk folder.

Text emails can find their way to a person’s junk folder also, but plain text emails do have a better chance of getting through the various spam filters that are out there vs HTML emails. Again, just something to be aware of.

As always if you have any questions, please let us know.

Best Regards,

Steve
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