Team Signatures
What are dynamic variables?
A dynamic variable is a field in a template that holds a different value for every teammate. Static fields are set once in the template and render identically in every signature built from it. Dynamic fields are filled per person: from the teammate record, from your connected directory, or by the teammate after they log in.
That one choice decides how much of the signature you control and how much your team can change. Get it right and a 40 person rollout is a single template edit.
Static fields and dynamic fields
| Field type | Who sets the value | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Static | Locked in the template by an Owner or Manager | Logo, brand colors, font, layout, legal disclaimer, company address |
| Dynamic | Filled per teammate, by you, by your directory, or by them | Name, job title, department, mobile phone, headshot, personal booking link |
A static field is a brand decision, a dynamic field is a data field. The quickest test: if the correct value is identical for your CEO and a new intern, make it static.
The merge tags SyncSignature supports
Dynamic text fields are written as merge tags. Each tag maps to one field on the teammate record, and SyncSignature swaps the tag for that person's value when their signature is generated.
| Merge tag | Fills with | Where the value comes from |
|---|---|---|
{{name}} |
Full display name | Directory, CSV import, or typed in TEAMMATES |
{{title}} |
Job title | Directory job title field |
{{department}} |
Department or team | Directory department field |
{{phone}} |
Mobile or direct number | Directory phone field, or typed per person |
{{photo}} |
Headshot | Directory profile photo, or uploaded per person |
Two elements use toggles instead of a text merge tag: dynamic CTA buttons open the Title, the URL, or both, and dynamic social links are toggled one icon at a time.
Who fills a dynamic field
| Filled by | How the value arrives | Good when |
|---|---|---|
| An Owner or Manager | Typed in TEAMMATES, or uploaded by CSV | You want signatures finished before anyone sees them |
| Your directory | Read from Google Workspace or Microsoft Entra ID | The company already maintains titles and departments |
| The teammate | They accept an invite and complete the open fields | Only they know the value, such as a personal booking link |
Most teams use all three at once.
Before you start
| Requirement | Where it lives | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Owner or Manager role | Your workspace | A Teammate cannot edit a template |
| A saved template | TEMPLATES | Static and dynamic are set per field in the editor |
| A group with that template assigned | GROUPS | A template generates nothing until a group points at it |
| Teammate details filled in | TEAMMATES | An empty record renders as a blank line, not a placeholder |
| A connected directory, optional | Integrations | Only for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 import |
How to make a field dynamic
- Open the template, not a signature. In TEMPLATES, open the template your group uses. Editing a signature in MY SIGNATURES changes one person only.
- Select the field. Click the text block, CTA button, or social icon you want to change.
- Turn on the dynamic toggle. The field stops holding one fixed value and starts reading from each teammate's record.
- Save the template. Every signature in every group linked to it rebuilds.
- Fill the values. Complete the field in TEAMMATES, import from your directory, or invite teammates to fill in their own.
- Reinstall for Google Workspace users. Open the group, select the users, click Install signature. Microsoft 365 users need nothing here, because the Outlook add-in picks up the current signature at compose time.
When to lock a field and when to open it
Lock a field when a wrong value would be a brand or legal problem: the logo, the disclaimer, the registered company name, the office address. SyncSignature has no approval queue, so anything a teammate can edit goes live the moment they edit it.
Open a field only when the value genuinely differs per person: mobile numbers, booking links, personal social profiles.
The middle option is the one most teams miss. Keep part of an element static and open only the rest. A CTA button with a locked Title of "Book a meeting" and a dynamic URL gives one call to action across the company while every teammate links to their own calendar.
How dynamic values stay current
If Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 is connected under Integrations, dynamic fields read from the record your IT or HR process already maintains, so a promotion reaches the signature without anyone opening the editor. That is the point of directory sync for email signatures.
Changes reach signatures within 5 to 10 minutes on the SyncSignature side, and your provider adds its own delay on top. One follow-up stays manual: Google Workspace signatures must be installed again after a template change.
Common issues and fixes
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A dynamic field renders as a blank line | The teammate record has no value for it | Fill it in TEAMMATES, or import it from your directory |
| Every signature shows the same phone number | The field is still static | Turn on the dynamic toggle for that field, save |
| A teammate edited something that should be fixed | The field was left dynamic | Set it back to static and save |
| One person's job title is wrong | Their teammate record is out of date | Correct the record, or the directory, then wait one cycle |
| The value is right in SyncSignature but not in Gmail | Signatures were not installed again | Open the group, select the users, click Install signature |
| A directory change has not appeared at all | Provider delay on top of the 5 to 10 minute window | Wait one cycle, then reinstall from inside the group |
Related articles
- What are workspace templates explains the object that holds these fields.
- Set dynamic CTA buttons for teammates covers the Title and URL toggles.
- Set dynamic social links for teammates covers per icon toggles.
- Import and manage teammates covers filling teammate records at scale.
Still stuck? Email support@syncsignature.com and include the template name and the exact field that is not filling in.
