- He writes thank you postcards with the same message over and over
- She creates a quick task list for her new assistant for the upcoming special event (except she forgets to note that the one corporate VP who always attends expects a vegan meal and a name tag that says Rick rather than Richard)
- He gets sick and jots a quick “To-Do” list for running payroll so that someone else can handle it (except he leaves out the link to login)
- Her administrative assistant knows there are 50 different small tasks (like responding to routine email questions, doing research, putting the new client’s information into the proposal…) BUT it would require her boss to take 15 minutes to help her create a complete working template, so they never get it done…
If you find yourself “reinventing the wheel” often in your business, start using templates.
You’ll be able to:
- delegate with confidence
- populate “form letters” easily and quickly (and personalize them)
- create an estimate one time and then “fill in the blanks” for each one after
- cut down on time spent word-smithing, personalizing, or individualizing
- reduce errors due to the “Oh crap, I totally forgot to add the shipping charge, delivery fee, charges for copies, missed deadline clause, upcharge for last minute requests, etc.”
Begin to make a list of all tasks you can standardize, including estimates, proposals, invoices, letters, and other forms you and your staff use regularly.
Create standard checklists for tasks that recur often (and especially for those that occur infrequently).
Checklists and templates are wonderful training and delegation tools to make sure everything is done right, on time, the first time.