Microsoft Outlook: two kinds of templates for sending repetitive e-mails

A while back, I found that I was sending the same conference call setup e-mail several times a month — sometimes several times a week. Pretty tiresome. So I began looking for ways to streamline. My first innovation was to simply sift through my sent items, open the last e-mail conference call announcement, and click Actions, Resend.

But there are some obvious pitfalls to this, among them the likelihood that I would one day slip up and forget to take someone out of the “To” line or forget to update the subject line. (I’ve learned to never leave the door to forgetfulness open, because I can’t seem to resist walking through it.) Then of course, sometimes, finding that one e-mail out of dozens I’ve sent over the last few days or weeks is a real pain.

So I learned how to make e-mail templates in Outlook. It was way easier than I expected.

The “Official” Outlook Template

An Outlook template is analogous to a Word template. It lets you save a certain e-mail’s setup, content, or both setup and content, which you can then reuse as often as necessary. Here’s how to create one:

• Open a new, blank e-mail message. Set it up with whatever format, subject line, recipient list, attachments or message content you want as “constants” for that template.
• Rather than sending the message, click File, Save As.
• In the Save as type drop-down, select Outlook template and name the file as desired. Note that, by default, Outlook places your template in the “Templates” folder.

When you want to use the template to create a message:

• Click File, New (or click the drop-down arrow next to the new message icon), then click Choose form.
• The “Choose Form” dialogue box appears.
• Under the Look In drop-down, select User Templates in File System. This list should consist of only your templates.
• Select the template you want to use and click Open.
• Proceed as you normally would to complete and send your message.

BONUS TIP 1: Outlook templates aren’t just for e-mails. Use them for frequent calendar entries and tasks, too!

BONUS TIP 2: If you’re addicted to desktop shortcuts, as I am, you might want to save copies of your frequently-used Outlook templates there. They’ll always be just one double-click away.

Outlook templates rock. But for those who just need the occasional repetitive text e-mail and don’t want to get too fancy, there is another way…

Quick and Easy E-mail Templates Using Signatures

You probably have one signature that gets appended automatically to all your e-mails. Did you know you can set up more than one signature? If all you need is text, alternate signatures might be your best bet.

• From the Tools menu, click Options.
• Under the Mail Format tab, click Signatures, and then the New button.
• Name your signature when prompted.
• The Edit Signature dialogue box opens.
• Type your text and click Finish.
• Click OK.
• You’re now back in the Options window, Mail Format tab. Before clicking OK, check to make sure Outlook hasn’t arbitrarily set your new “template” signature as your default “signature for new messages.” If it has, use the drop-down box to reselect your normal signature.

To use your new “signature template,” simply open a new, blank e-mail, and, on the menu, click Insert, then arrow down to Signature and select your “template” from the list.