Use merge tags for personalization

Merge tags are dynamic placeholders that get replaced with real values at send time. A template with Hi {{contact.name}}, your case {{conversation.human_id}} has been received becomes Hi Erik, your case SUP-251221-0001 has been received when sent.

Before you start

• A Text or Heading block in your template (merge tags only work inside text-bearing blocks)
• A clear sense of which conversation context the email will have when sent — automation-triggered emails have full context; CSAT emails have just the conversation; user-invitation emails have just the user

Insert a merge tag

1. Open the template in Settings → Email Studio.
2. Click into a Text or Heading block where you want the dynamic value.
3. Click the Merge Tags button in the block’s toolbar (or use the inline {{ shortcut, depending on UI version).
4. Pick the field. The picker is grouped by source: contact fields, conversation fields, custom fields, agent fields, tenant fields.
5. The merge tag is inserted as {{path.to.field}}. Continue typing around it.

You can also type the merge tag directly if you remember the path — {{contact.name}} works without going through the picker.

Common merge tags

• {{contact.name}} — The contact’s name
• {{contact.email}} — The contact’s email address
• {{contact.first_name}} — First name only (parsed from full name)
• {{contact.custom_fields.<key>}} — A specific contact custom field by key
• {{conversation.human_id}} — Human-readable conversation ID like SUP-251221-0001
• {{conversation.subject}} — The conversation subject
• {{conversation.url}} — A deep-link URL into the conversation in the app (for agent-facing emails)
• {{conversation.custom_fields.<key>}} — A specific conversation custom field
• {{agent.name}} — The assigned agent’s name
• {{agent.email}} — The assigned agent’s email
• {{tenant.name}} — Your company / workspace name
• {{tenant.support_email}} — The configured support email for replies

What happens when a merge tag doesn’t resolve

If the field is empty or doesn’t exist on the record being sent:

• Empty value: the merge tag renders as an empty string. Hi , (with a missing name) — looks unprofessional but doesn’t break send.
• Unknown field path: the merge tag renders as the literal text {{contact.unknown_field}}. The customer sees the curly-brace template directly. This is louder than empty and helps catch typos.

To avoid empty-name awkwardness, use first-name-or-fallback patterns in plain prose:

Hi {{contact.first_name}},

Then make sure your contact records always have first names populated. Or use a more conversational opener that doesn’t depend on a name:

Hi there,

Custom fields in merge tags

Custom fields (see Custom Fields) are addressable via {{contact.custom_fields.<key>}}, {{conversation.custom_fields.<key>}}, or {{case.custom_fields.<key>}} depending on where the field lives.

The key is the machine identifier (e.g. account_tier), not the display label (Account Tier). Look it up in Settings → Custom Fields → field → Key.

Patterns

• Friendly opener — Hi {{contact.first_name}},
• Reference the case — case {{conversation.human_id}}
• Link back into the app (agent emails only) — View at {{conversation.url}}
• Personalize by tier — As a {{contact.custom_fields.account_tier}} customer, (only useful when account tier is reliably populated)

Verify it worked

Wire the template into a test automation, trigger it on a test conversation, and check the delivered email. Every merge tag should have resolved to a real value, OR be visibly empty (which means the source field was empty), OR appear as literal {{...}} (which means the path was wrong — fix it).

Troubleshooting

• Symptom: Merge tag appears as literal {{contact.name}} in the delivered email. Fix: The path is wrong, OR the template is being sent in a context where the merge tag can’t resolve (e.g. a system email without a contact context). Check the spelling and the calling surface.
• Symptom: Customer’s name is missing in the email. Fix: The contact record doesn’t have a name. Use a fallback opener like Hi there, for cases where contacts may have email-only profiles.

See also

• Create a template
• Custom Fields