Adding a personal touch to your automated emails can make a big difference in your customer relationships. Helcim makes this easy with a powerful feature called dynamic fields.
This guide will explain what they are and show you how to use them to create clearer, more professional communications—no coding required!
What are dynamic fields?
Think of a dynamic field as a smart placeholder. It's a short tag (like %_CONTACT_NAME_%) that you can place in your email's Subject or Body. When Helcim sends the email, our system automatically replaces that tag with the real, specific information for that customer or transaction.
| It’s the difference between a subject line that says "Your Receipt" and one that says "Thanks for your order, Jane!" |
How to find and use dynamic fields
You don't have to memorize any tags. For every email template you edit, we provide a list of all the available fields for that specific context.
Select the email you wish to edit in your Communications settings.
Scroll down to the Email template section.
Below the Body editor, you will find the Dynamic fields table. This table shows every field you can use for that specific email, along with its description.
To use a field, simply click on its name in the list, and it will be inserted wherever your cursor is placed in the Subject or Body.
A practical example
Let's see it in action. Imagine you want to make your 'Invoice paid' notification friendlier.
The default subject line might be something like this.
Input with dynamic fields | Final result |
Invoice Paid - %_INVOICE_NUMBER_% | Invoice Paid - INV54321 |
By using the dynamic fields list, you could easily change it to something more personal.
Input with dynamic fields | Final result |
Thank you, %_CONTACT_NAME_%! Your invoice from %_MERCHANT_DBA_% has been paid. | Thank you, Jane! Your invoice from Audiofyle Records has been paid. |
This simple change confirms the payment, includes your business name, and addresses the customer directly, which helps build trust and brand recognition.
Remember: you're not starting from scratch
We've pre-filled each template with a clear, friendly message that's ready to go. You can use it as-is or tweak it to perfectly match your brand's voice.
Tips for editing your templates
Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you customize your emails:
Be careful with essential fields: For a transaction update email, make sure you keep the %_TRANSACTION_RECEIPT_% field, or the transaction details won't be included!
Use fields in the subject line: Adding your business name (%_MERCHANT_DBA_%) to the subject can increase open rates and clarity.
Keep it simple: A little personalization goes a long way. The most effective emails are often the ones that are clear, simple, and helpful.
Next steps
Put it into practice: Now that you know how dynamic fields work, head back to your settings to customize your templates. You can find them all here: Customer email notifications.
FAQs
Can I create my own custom dynamic fields?
No, you can only use the dynamic fields provided in the list for each email template.
What happens if I type a dynamic field incorrectly?
If a dynamic field is misspelled or contains extra characters, our system won't recognize it. It will likely appear as plain text (e.g. “%_CONATCT_NAME_%”) in the final email sent to the customer. It's always best to click the field from the list to ensure it's entered correctly.
Are the dynamic fields the same for every email template?
No. The list of available fields changes depending on the context of the email. For example, an invoice email will have invoice-specific fields (like %_INVOICE_NUMBER_%) that a transaction receipt email won't have.