What is not to love about saving time and giving you a break from those repetitive mundane tasks? That’s what we thought too! That’s why system templates have made it onto our ‘What We Love’ list. Templates are nothing new, so to get on our list, they needed to be much more. Let’s explain.
Everyone uses templates in some shape or another. Even if that is re-using a standard letter that you have used before and changing the details, or even copy and pasting email content. But what if we took the whole concept to another level and made them so easy to use in every area of what you do, that they could save you hours of wasted time, and create consistency across all your team, and for all your customers? When Business Pilot talk about templates, that’s exactly what we mean.
In Business Pilot, you can create templates for emails or documents. You can say whether the template should be available in the lead process or the contract process. Really simple.
What is also simple is how you can use a Word document and convert it into a document template. This includes images, text, everything. Some of our users have a full brochure that is created as a template so that it can be personalised and attached to an email, which is also a template, and have it sent automatically as a ‘status’ is passed (look for the Why We Love Status Progressions). Imagine that!
To create a template for email or a document, you have standard text and system text. Most of what you want to send will be the same as for every other customer. This is standard text. Then the parts that need personalising such as balance outstanding or date of service call, these are system text. It is information the system knows, because you have created it in or added it to the customer record. For these items you just add a placeholder. At the time you send the document, Business Pilot will merge the standard text and the system text to create the exact document or email you wanted to send.
Where things get really neat, is when you can create email templates that have document templates attached, as part of the email template. For example, we could have an email to confirm the sales appointment has been booked, which includes all the specific details of which salesperson, the date and time, confirming the appointment address etc. This could have a personalised brochure attached to it as part of the ‘template’.
Of course, every email and every document you send from Business Pilot is tracked and a note left for you so that everyone knows what has been sent and when.
Business Pilot’s system templates are so simple, yet massively powerful at the same time. That’s why they have earned their place on the Why We Love list.
The question is, when you log in to your CRM system, or use whatever system you currently use (even diaries, excel, whiteboards), do you have access to templates for all the common communications you use, instantly at your fingertips Are they updated live for everyone, whenever your template documents, get upgraded? Can you use them or even create them from anywhere, any time, on any device? If not, just imagine what having that would do for you’re the professionalism of your business. And how much easier your job would be. That’s why we love system templates.
