Script variables
Every variable you can drop into an SMS script, what it fills in with, and what happens when the value is missing.
Scripts are plain text with variables in curly braces. When the message goes out, FoxFlow swaps each variable for the real value from that lead.
You can see this same list inside the app, underneath the script box on any step.
The full list
| Variable | Fills in with | If it's empty |
|---|---|---|
{first_name} | The lead's first name | friend |
{name} | The lead's full name | (nothing) |
{phone} | The lead's phone number | (nothing) |
{email} | The lead's email address | (nothing) |
{form_name} | The name of the form that captured them | (nothing) |
{org_name} | Your organisation's name | (nothing) |
{assignee_first_name} | First name of the teammate assigned to the lead | us |
{current_user_first_name} | Your own first name | (nothing) |
How the two fallbacks read
These are the only variables that put a word in when there's no value, and both were chosen so the sentence still sounds like a person wrote it:
Hi {first_name}, this is {assignee_first_name} from {org_name}.
→ with everything known:
Hi Sarah, this is Matt from Grace Church.
→ with no first name and no assignee name:
Hi friend, this is us from Grace Church.
Neither one reads like a broken template, which is the whole point.
Where {first_name} comes from
FoxFlow tries three things, in order, and stops at the first one that works:
- A first-name field on the form they filled out.
- Any form field whose name looks like a first name —
firstName,first_name,First Nameall match. - The first word of the lead's full name.
If all three come up empty — or the name is literally "Anonymous", which is what
Facebook sends when a lead has no name attached — you get friend.
Where {assignee_first_name} comes from
This is the name of the teammate the lead is assigned to, not the person sending. FoxFlow looks for a usable first name on their account, and ignores placeholder names like "User", "Admin" and "Anonymous" so they can never end up in a customer's text.
If the lead hasn't been assigned to anyone yet, FoxFlow uses whoever would get it based on your assignment settings — so the name is right even when a lead arrives and gets texted within the same second.
Capitalisation and spacing
Two small behaviours worth knowing:
- Case doesn't matter.
{first_name},{First_Name}and{FIRST_NAME}are the same variable.{firstname}(no underscore) also works. - Empty variables don't leave a mess. After filling everything in, FoxFlow collapses
double spaces and pulls stray punctuation back against the previous word. So
Hi {first_name} {name}, welcome!with no full name sends asHi Sarah, welcome!— notHi Sarah , welcome!.
Writing scripts that don't sound automated
A few examples that work in the real world. Notice they're short, they name a person, and they ask one question.
A church, following up a connect card:
Hi {first_name}, this is {assignee_first_name} from {org_name} — so glad you
worshiped with us Sunday. Anything we can be praying about this week?
A Christian school, after a tour request:
Hi {first_name}, it's {assignee_first_name} at {org_name}. I saw you asked about
a tour — would a weekday morning or an afternoon work better for your family?
A small business, same-day on a Facebook lead:
Hi {first_name}, {assignee_first_name} here from {org_name}. You just asked about
a quote — is now an OK time for a quick call?
Next: see how scripts attach to your columns in Scripts, or turn on auto-send so the first text goes out without anyone pressing a button.
Common questions
- What happens if a variable has no value?
- { "Most variables become empty text": { " FoxFlow then tidies the message — it collapses the double space and pulls punctuation back so you never send a sentence with a hole in it": { " Two variables have real fallback words instead": { "first_name": null } } } }
- Are variable names case sensitive?
- No. {First_Name} and {FIRST_NAME} both work the same as {first_name}.
- Why did my message say "it's us from Grace Church"?
- That is the {assignee_first_name} fallback. It means FoxFlow could not find a first name for the assigned teammate. Ask them to set a first name on their profile and the real name will appear on the next send.