Requirements for Template Management Software:
10 Tips for Word templates

Guest article: This article was originally published on the German platform vorlagen.software and is shared with the permission of the operators.

The majority of template management systems on the market is dedicated to word processing. What are the requirements for a good software solution? How can it facilitate the work, support and administration of Word and other templates?

In this article, we would like to share ten qualifications, which a truly efficient template management should definitely fulfill. It is the aim of the software to use company resources efficiently, save capacities and optimize workflows.

1. Support of different document templates

Today, most companies are not limited to issuing letters and sending emails. Therefore, a great template system should support as many types of templates as possible. Think about envelopes, labels, tags for folders, contracts or cover sheets. Are you working in a public enterprise or is your business operating on official requirements? In this case, your template system should supply Word templates for official notifications, decrees or circular resolutions, too. Does your company use barcode identification? A qualified template system supports your complete documentation. 

2. 100% compliance

Your brands and products are what really counts. A template management solution guarantees a 100% compliance of your labels, envelopes, letters and other documents. The corporate design is correctly displayed on all Word templates and word processing files. The latest logos and brands are available at your employees’ disposal at any time. The result is a unified design without any formatting errors.

3. Facilitated production, administration and support of Word templates

A good template system de-freezes IT capacities. Does your company have a new logo? A great software enables your IT department to change the logo at the press of a button in all templates. This way, word processing and Word templates are updated immediately. This function is not limited to changes in the corporate design only. An efficient template management solution guarantees quick updates of all templates also in case of office software updates (e.g. a new version of Microsoft Office). Save valuable IT capacities by getting rid of tedious re-programming processes.

4. Comprehensive authorization and role management systems

Each employee should have access from each location to only those Word templates, that he or she needs for their daily work. Nothing is superfluous, everything is clear. Therefore, a great template system includes a comprehensive profile administration with various authorization rights for different users and user groups. This function ideally extends to signature rights and access to contact data.

5. Central administration

Are you tired of looking for the correct template on different types of data storage? The document chaos is coming to an end. An efficient template software system guarantees a structured administration of your documents and data. Generally, single Word templates are created for each type of document. Your templates are stored in a central register. This way, each employee can easily identifiy relevant and correctly formatted (!) templates, without spending time on searching for them. A central data management makes sure that no recipient or user is saved twice in the system. Everything is correct. Everything is unified. Everything is comprehensive.

6. Flexible data management

It is important that data (such as recipient addresses) is centrally stored. In addition, data should also be easily integrated from different sources, such as table systems (e.g. Excel), CRM tools, databases and other company-specific systems. A great template management software facilitates the integration of different data. Flexible data management also concerns the saving of your documents. Not only should documents be available internally according to the authorization rights. It should also be possible to share them externally. Different solutions offer options, such as sharing via cloud, SharePoint or DMS.

7. Support of different data formats

Do you share documents in PDF, CSV or other formats? Your software for word processing and Word templates should support these formats without any problems. Ideally, your preferred template software also includes a function for mail merge or multiple letters. The support of different data formats, however, is a must! As an additional extra, some template systems support an integration of Outlook or other email programs. Usually, an automatic email signature is created, which is both in line with the respective user profile, as well as the corporate design of your company.

8. Multiple languages

Is your company operating in an international environment or across different locations? If so, you may want to use your software and issue documents in various languages. In this case, the support of multiple languages will be essential for your software solution. 

9. Reduction of manual errors

A template software should minimize manual errors, such as grammatical mistakes and typos. A standard software package usually includes an automatic spelling and grammar function. In addition, text modules are extremely practical, as they save recurring text passages. Once saved, text modules can be added to random Word templates and documents whenever necessary. As such, they reduce mistakes and make typing recurring texts redundant. Most template solutions that offering text modules, support adding other elements (e.g. images, tables) to such modules.

10. Intuitive usability

In addition to the technical qualifications, this is one of the most important requirements. In addition to IT, a template management system should reduce the workload of all employees. An intuitive usability guarantees that everybody in your company can benefit from a template software. It facilitates complicated workflows and abolishes boring and recurring tasks. Ideally, it boosts employees’ joy, while giving them more time for their essential workflows. This way, your overall company is profiting from a template software solution.

At OneOffixx, we are proud that our template management system fulfills all mentioned requirements!