Using templates to streamline your business

In our current AI and automation craze, business owners are eager to automate as much as possible. Automation is wonderful, as I discussed in this post. However, in the quest to automate, we need to ensure quality is not hindered. If the value of automation is to streamline your business activities and reduce your personal workload, then templates are another important element to be explored and implemented.

Templates create structure and standardization while still allowing for the personalization and customization that your clients expect. They are not about creating cookie-cutter services but about building reliable frameworks that free your team to focus on what truly matters: delivering exceptional value to your clients. Having templates or commonly used structures at the ready reduces the time spent executing, increases consistency, and saves the headspace required to think about what needs to be done each time. 

Templates become even more valuable when processes or communications do not happen daily. Having a proposal template in the CRM, or specific actions that need to be taken documented ensure that the team member responsible knows what needs to be done, reducing time trying to recall and increasing consistency in the experience for everyone involved.

When you are in the weeds of trying to make things happen, it can be challenging to identify opportunities where templates can streamline your business. Here are three examples on where templates can help: 

1. Client Onboarding

The onboarding process sets the tone for your entire client relationship. There are typical steps that need to be taken as you start an engagement. Templates can ensure critical steps are not missed, and the relationship starts off strongly. 

A comprehensive onboarding template system might include:

• Welcome communication templates

• Intake questionnaires or forms

• Project timeline templates with automatic milestone calculations

• Standard operating procedures for internal team handoffs

2. Project Management

While each engagement for your clients may have an element of uniqueness, there is typically a consistent theme or process for how the project will unfold and what needs to be completed. Standardizing the core elements of project delivery and creating templates to create consistency saves time, standardizes the client experience, and reduces stress of trying to get up to speed on each project. 

Effective project management templates might include:

• Project kickoff meeting agendas and follow-up documents

• Progress report frameworks that can be quickly populated with current data

• Client communication schedules with pre-written check-in emails

• Project closure and feedback collection systems

3. Knowledge Documentation

Your team's expertise is your most valuable asset, but what happens when that knowledge exists only in someone's head? Templates can help capture and distribute critical information throughout your organization.

Knowledge documentation templates might include:

• Problem-solution templates that document common client issues and resolutions

• Process documentation frameworks that make it easy to capture workflows

• Training materials and client education resources that can be quickly updated as procedures evolve

Getting Started with Templates

Begin by identifying the three most repetitive processes in your business. For each process, document the current steps, note areas where quality or consistency suffers, and create simple templates to address those pain points. Start small, test with your team, and refine based on feedback.

Remember that templates should evolve as your business grows. 

By investing in well-designed templates now, you are not just saving time today, you are building scalable systems that will support your business growth for years to come.