What are job note templates in SmartMoving?
Job note templates let your team save job note text once and drop it into any opportunity instead of retyping it. By the end of this article you will have created a template in settings and applied it to a job note on an opportunity.
A job note template holds a name, a note type, and a plain text body.
Template bodies support tokens, which are placeholders such as
@FirstNameor@MoveDatethat fill in from the job when you apply the template.Each template belongs to one note type, and the picker on an opportunity only offers templates built for the tab you are working in.
Job note templates use the same tokens as your sales templates.
Before you start with job note templates
Creating and editing job note templates happens in Settings > Sales > Sales Templates, so you need access to that settings page. This is normally an admin.
Applying a job note template to an opportunity requires estimate, accounting, or account access. Users who can edit an estimate or work accounting on a job can apply templates.
The job must be active. The template picker does not appear on a job that is no longer active.
How do I create a job note template?
To create a job note template in SmartMoving:
Go to Settings > Sales > Sales Templates. The page opens with a section for each template type.
Find the Job Notes section, described as "Templates sales reps can apply to the job notes on an opportunity." If your company has no templates yet, the list reads "No job note templates yet."
Add a new template. The job note template slideout opens.
Enter a Template Name. A name is required and can be up to 255 characters.
Choose the Note Type: Internal, Customer, Crew Notes, or Dispatcher Notes. The note type decides which tab on an opportunity offers this template.
Enter the Note Body. The body is plain text and holds up to 4,000 characters. Use the token picker beside the field to insert tokens such as
@FirstName,@MoveDate,@OriginCity, or@DestinationCity.Check the Preview below the body. It shows the template with example token values, and it notes that tokens without a value resolve to "--".
To flag this template as your team's standard choice for its note type, turn on the default toggle. The template is then labeled (default) in the picker on an opportunity. Only one template per note type can be the default, and saving a new default replaces the previous one.
Click Add New Template. The slideout closes and the template appears in the Job Notes list with its name, note type, preview, default flag, and created date.
đĄ SmartTip: Name templates for the moment they are used, such as "Long carry warning" or "Storage in transit handoff", so the picker on the opportunity is quick to scan.
How do I apply a job note template to an opportunity?
To apply a job note template to a job in SmartMoving:
Open the opportunity and go to the Job Notes card.
Select the tab for the note you want to write: Internal, Customer, Crew Notes, or Dispatcher Notes. The template picker appears above the note box when at least one template exists for that tab.
Open the picker, labeled Apply a template. It lists only the templates built for that note type, and the default template for that type carries a "(default)" label.
Choose a template. The Apply button becomes available.
Click Apply. If the note is empty, the template text drops in with its tokens filled from the job.
If the note already has text, an Apply template? prompt opens. Choose Replace to overwrite the existing note, Append to add the template text after what is already there, or Cancel to leave the note untouched.
The text lands in the note as ordinary text, so you can edit it afterward like any other job note.
Which tokens can I use in a job note template?
Job note templates support the same tokens as SmartMoving sales templates, plus tokens drawn from the specific job. The token picker in the Note Body field lists every supported token. Commonly used ones include:
Token group | Examples |
Customer details |
|
Job and move details |
|
Quote details |
|
Your details |
|
Assigned staff |
|
Company details |
|
Tokens resolve when you apply the template, using the data on that job at that moment. A token with no value on the job resolves to "--". If the job's service date is set to TBD, @ServiceDate and @MoveDate resolve to "TBD".
Key details about job note templates
Templates are scoped to one note type. A template built for Internal notes is offered only on the Internal tab. Templates do not carry across note types.
Four note types support templates: Internal, Customer, Crew Notes, and Dispatcher Notes. Crew Feedback does not support templates, because that tab is written by the crew and is read-only everywhere a template could be applied.
The Accounting tab has no template picker. Job note templates apply to the four note types listed above.
The picker is hidden when there is nothing to pick. If a note type has no templates, no picker appears on that tab. Create a template for that note type to make the picker appear.
The picker is hidden on inactive jobs. Job note templates can be applied only while the job is active.
Template bodies are plain text. Job notes are plain text throughout SmartMoving, including on the customer portal, the crew tablet, and QuickBooks invoice memos, so templates do not support bold, italics, or other rich formatting.
Body length is capped at 4,000 characters and a template name is capped at 255 characters. Both a name and a body are required to save.
One default per note type. Saving a new default for a note type clears the previous default for that type. Defaults on other note types are unaffected.
Applying never overwrites silently. If the note already has text, SmartMoving always asks whether to replace or append first.
Deleting a template does not change notes already written from it. Text applied to a job stays on that job.
Tokens resolve once, at the moment you apply the template. If the move date changes afterward, the text already in the note keeps the old value.
Templates can be reordered in the Job Notes list, and the picker follows that order. Reordering does not change note types or which template is the default.
Best practices for job note templates
Build one template per recurring situation rather than one long template that covers several, so the applied note stays relevant to the job.
Use tokens for anything that varies by job, such as the customer name, move date, and cities, so a template stays correct without editing.
Check the Preview before saving to confirm the tokens read the way you want in a finished note.
Set a default for the note types your team writes on nearly every job, and leave the rest without a default.
Review your job note templates when your process changes, since applied text stays on past jobs and only future applications pick up an edit.
Troubleshooting job note templates
The template picker does not appear on the Job Notes card. The picker appears only when the note type on the open tab has at least one template and the job is active. Confirm a template exists for that specific note type in Settings > Sales > Sales Templates, and confirm the job is still active.
A template I created is missing from the picker. Check the template's Note Type in settings. A template built for Internal notes does not appear on the Customer, Crew Notes, or Dispatcher Notes tabs. Change the note type on the template, or create a separate template for the other tab.
Tokens in my applied note show "--" instead of real values. A token resolves to "--" when the job has no value for it. Confirm the job has the detail filled in, such as an origin city or arrival window, then apply the template again. If every token resolves to "--", check that the opportunity has a branch assigned.
The service date token reads "TBD". The job's service date is set to TBD on the opportunity. Set an actual service date and apply the template again.
Applying a template wiped out the note I had written. Applying to a note that already has text prompts for Replace or Append first, and Replace overwrites the existing text. Choose Append to keep the existing note and add the template text after it.
I cannot save two default templates for the same note type. Only one template per note type can be the default. Saving a second template as the default clears the default flag on the first one.