5 Ways Templates Can Improve Your Office Productivity

In our daily lives, there is so much work that is based on templates. From emails to presentations, templates can be a great way to save some time and effort — without sacrificing the quality of your output.

If you’re regularly re-working the same document, think about using a template instead. Why type the same thing over and over again?

Luckily, there are a lot of software programs that have templates included in the program. And even if they’re not supported, you can use third-party applications to create and edit templates.

The only question out there is — how will you be able to maximize the benefits of templates? This article will help you use templates more effectively in your daily work. You’ll see how you can improve your overall productivity and save precious time.

Here are some ways to improve office productivity by using templates:

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1. Templates Can Reduce Errors

While human error may be inevitable, we can minimize these errors. One way is by using templates as skeletons to standardize your processes.

Imagine sending a sales pitch to dozens of different recipients. On top of this, every one of your email managers has a different sales pitch in mind. It would be a real challenge to send different sales pitches to each of your prospects and keep it all straight!

This is where templates come into play. Templates provide a structure that you can follow. Once you standardize your process, there is a lower risk of committing an error. Other team members will also be less likely to miss a piece of information if they use templates.

Miscommunication and other lapses within your team will also be less likely with the use of templates. Information transfer within your team will be more concise and better orchestrated. And again, imagine the time savings when you don’t need to keep re-creating the same document.

2. Templates Increase Work Speed

If we define speed in the work area, we are speaking to how accurate and timely one can do a job with minimal error. With templates, you make a skeleton that everyone can use. This increases everyone’s efficiency when working with a repetitive task.

By using templates, you also develop muscle memory. Repetitive tasks will be easier and faster to accomplish, just as in an efficient auto-pilot mode.

And as you make more and more templates, it becomes easier to make a new template from scratch. You can share it with the entire company so that the process can be standardized. This increases work efficiency for the office as a whole and improve interdepartmental communication.

The key to a successful template is keeping it simple so that everyone can understand the template. The easier it is to understand, the faster the work will progress.

In a template, going for a checkbox instead of a lengthy message can improve customer responses. For example, if you’re selling a product and your customer is required to read the terms of usage, they can just tick the checkbox and get on with the transaction.

3. Using The Right Tools And Equipment For Templates

Your employees can only work with the tools given to them. Thus, it is very important to give them the right tools and equipment that they need to make templates and use them effectively.

You can also access pre-made templates online. There are open-sourced websites that offer free PowerPoint templates. These templates are customizable and can be edited to your company’s specifications.

There are also thousands of designs to choose from. Pick a template that suits the message. The right theme with the right message will make your template much more effective. This leads to fewer communication errors and a significant increase in office productivity.

4. Templates Give You A Head Start

Imagine that you have to invite people to a wedding. If you use a template, you just have to add the invitee’s name and the date of the wedding and you’re good to go. Templates give you a head start on what you’re working on.

This is the same in the workplace. Templates give a head start on the jobs that you do regularly. If you’re sending hundreds of emails a day, you’ll notice how templates streamline the job. Starting from scratch for repetitive tasks just makes little sense anymore. You have more important things to do!

If you’re always working with tables and figures, consider how a template could help you access the same table format with just a few clicks. This can be done in Excel and Word.

5. Templates Improve Your Company’s Presentation

A typical company consists of different departments with different functions. Although different, these departments send hundreds of emails every day. Having a company-designed template can greatly improve outward communications from your company.

Each department in your company has different ways of presenting a piece of information. However, if you use templates to streamline your work process, you can expect a clearer, simpler, and faster transfer of information.

By using templates, you can:

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• Have a specific location for important elements of your email. Important links and signatures are found in a specific location for every email so that your receiver can easily locate necessary information.
• Have a uniform look for every outgoing email. With your message placed in a company-designed template, every outbound email looks neat and professional, and consistent through all the departments.
• Have a concise email with all the necessary information to reach a common goal. You can minimize miscommunication if you keep your email short and concise. Templates improve external communication with clients. You can reach a common goal easier with better communication.

Final Word

When it comes to improving one’s productivity, there are a couple of ways to make your approach. A good place to start: streamline your office processes by using templates, and you’ll see an immediate improvement in your productivity.

If you implement the use of templates throughout your systems, you’ll rarely find yourself stuck in a repetitive task again. Whether you’re working in the office or from home, you have thousands of template designs to choose from to fit every task. You can even make your own template for a more personalized look.

You can get started with templates and go from there. You’ll find that you’re able to produce higher quality work more quickly and efficiently, and save yourself some time too.