Create Word templates in only 3 steps

Do you want to bring more unity to your documents through Word templates? Do you and your colleagues repeatedly use boilerplate content for your daily business correspondence? Then make your work processes easier with Word templates. In this article you will learn how to easily create your own Word templates, save them and share them with your colleagues.

No Word templates yet? Why you should change it

You want to send a customer an offer so you search for a Word document in your mailbox or document folders that you can copy and adapt. That costs time and means that arbitrary changes are often made to text, content, and design.

Effects of non-uniform Word documents:

• Document chaos
• No uniform external appearance
• Company appears unprofessional
• Everyone works inefficiently
• Outdated company information is use

If you want to work more professionally and efficiently, we recommend that you create Word templates for standard documents.

These Word templates are the most commonly used:

What you should consider when creating your Word template

Returning to the example of the offer document you want to send to a customer: since a customer quote is a standard document you send out over and over, agree with your team on a template with blanks for any information that changes. Start with a classic letterhead with company logo and details - the document should contain the latest company information and also be up to date with the corporate design. Leave some fill-in space for a quotation, depending on the customer.

Pay attention to the following points:

• Does our template contain all the important text modules?
• Do the header and footer include correct current information such as company address(es), e-mail address(es), telephone number(s), etc.
• Does the template contain the company logo?
• Is the correct font and color used?
• Are all necessary contents like pictures, screenshots or diagrams included?

You have many options to create your Word template:

First make sure you have the Developer tab enabled in your Word Ribbon:

Click File > Options > Customize Ribbon and make sure the Developer tab is checked in the list of tabs. Now you can insert various controls on the Developer tab that help people fill in the blanks in your template. For example, these buttons in the Controls group are most common.

1. Insert text control
   
   Click on the Aa button to insert a text field.
   
   
   
2. Insert image control
   
   Click on the Image button .
   
   
   
3. Insert a combo box or drop-down list
   
   Click on the Combo Box Content Control
   or Drop-Down List Content Control Image button .
   
   
   
   You can customize the behavior of these controls selecting a control then clicking the Properties button on the Developer tab.
   
   
   
   

Save your Word template in just 3 steps

If you are satisfied with your template, save it now.

1. Click File > Save As.
   
   
2. Select the Word Template format from the document type dropdown. (if your document contains macros, also click word template with macros).
   
   
   (Macros: In Word, you can automate frequently performed tasks by creating and running macros. A macro is a sequence of commands and instructions that you combine as a single command to perform a task automatically).
   
   
3. Next, find a folder that is accessible to all employees who will use this template. Ask your IT team where you should save shared templates.
   
   Now the next time someone wants to send a quote they can use your template without having to spend time searching for an old quote and adapting it. When they choose the quote template, Word automatically creates a new document based on that template - there is no danger of overwriting the template.

In our article "Uniform Corporate Design in Office with Theme and Template Files", we show you how to store your corporate design in Office files and at the same time ensure that the desired design definitions are automatically preset when you start an Office application.

Central Word templates library directly in Word

With empower® docs you can ensure that the right Word templates are used throughout the company. A central library makes legal templates, boilerplate text, and other content available to all employees directly in Word. Manage your content elements in empower® or integrate a third-party digital asset management (DAM) system, whichever you prefer. Letterheads and legal information are automatically populated with your data. Any number of languages are supported - users can switch locations and languages with just a few clicks.

• A central library for templates, text modules and images
• Every document in your corporate design
• Faster creation of documents with existing content

Manage all Word templates - company-wide and worry-free. More information, sample videos, and infographics can be found on empower® docs.

We will be happy to advise you personally and answer any of your questions on empower®.