ClickZ has an interesting case study on how Cisco's sales force is using a template based e-mail system to be able to send e-mails to their clients.

I have mixed feelings about this. As a marketer, I'd certainly like to have the ability to track messages/effectiveness as they're going out through the sales force. I also really like a templating approach since it makes it easier and more consistent for the sales force while still providing message flexibility. Still, it seems remarkably complex to implement. And, once you implement it, then you need to convince your sales force to adopt it and train them on the best uses. It's too much to consider on a dim, Monday morning.