ServiceM8 offers a unique feature that allows users to use custom HTML-formatted email signatures.
In this post, we’ll guide you through the process of creating a personalised email signature using a free email signature generator, incorporating ServiceM8’s field codes, and fine-tuning the HTML code for the perfect finish.
Step 1: Design your Signature
Begin by visiting Mail-Signatures, an excellent (and free) email signature creator website. Here, you can experiment with various templates and designs until you find a style that resonates with your brand or personal aesthetic.
Once you’ve finished designing your signature, copy and paste the actual signature (not the HTML) into your ServiceM8 account by navigating to Settings > Preferences > Email Settings > Company Signature.
And if you are happy with that result, congratulations, you don’t need to go any further. Skip over the next couple of steps, sit back, and give yourself a pat on the back.
Step 2: Incorporate Field Codes
But, if like me you want to give your signature a little more tweaking, then it’s time to customise your signature using field codes provided by ServiceM8. These codes help to automate the inclusion of specific details, such as the staff member’s first and last name, mobile number, job title, and your company logo. Here are some commonly used field codes:
{staff.first}: Staff's First Name
{staff.last}: Staff's Last Name
{staff.mobile}: Staff's Mobile Number
{staff.job_title}: Staff's Job Title
{company_logo}: Your Company LogoUsing these fields can help customise the email signature for each staff member in your ServiceM8 system.
Step 3: Fine-Tuning with HTML
To create an even more personalized signature, consider tweaking the HTML code itself. Start by generating a signature using the Mail-Signatures generator and then copy the HTML code.
Paste this code into an online HTML editor – HTML5 Editor is a personal favourite. The editing pane on the left hosts the HTML code, while the right side offers a preview of the signature, allowing you to edit in real-time.
HTML editing allows you to make changes at the code level, affecting font colors, sizes, styles, padding, borders, and graphic URL links and destinations.
A helpful tip for using HTML5 Editor is enabling View > Visual Aids to see table gridlines. You can also inject text or make modifications in the preview version and observe how the HTML code changes on the left. This is a great way to learn how to fine-tune adjustments and finesse your final result.
For example, suppose you’re struggling with specific design elements, like shrinking the vertical dividing line in the center of the signature. In this case, you can enable Visual Aids to see that the line is defined as a border on the right-hand side of the cell holding the logo image. The block of text on the right can also be made up of a table with several rows and columns. By observing how the code changes when you alter the design, you can learn to solve these problems based on your understanding of HTML, rather than relying on pre-set options.
The following is an example the email signature that is used by our ServiceM8 system, with my first and last name, and job title using the previously mentioned field codes.
Unfortunately, you cannot simply copy and paste graphic files into HTML signatures. You can either use the ServiceM8 field code for this {company_logo}, which will use the logo you have uploaded into your ServiceM8 system. Or for greater control and customisability, you can point your graphics to any publicly accessible PNG or JPEG file hosted somewhere on the web. For ours, we point back to a logo graphic available within our own website.
The ‘need some help’ and ‘click here’ banner were brought over from Mail-Signatures website by default, and I have modified it to link back to our custom booking page. The ServiceM8 and social icons also point to PNG files hosted on our website, and the URL’s link back to their respective destinations. Finally, clicking the logo will take the reader to our website URL.
Conclusion
Creating a unique email signature with ServiceM8 involves a mix of design creativity and a bit of code manipulation. With the right tools, you can create an email signature that not only looks professional but also perfectly represents your brand.
But if the thought of working with HTML code makes you want to run, then you always have the option to engage a professional to help you get that perfect HTML signature done for you.
Happy designing!