Speedy Response: Options for Email Templates
Responding to client emails is not only necessary, but it is also part of an attorney’s ethical duty to keep a client updated on a matter and respond promptly to client requests for information, per RPC 1.4. Whether you’re responding to urgent inquiries or sending routine updates, having reliable email templates at your fingertips can save valuable time and ensure professionalism. From built-in features like Quick Parts in Microsoft Outlook, to admin-enabled add-ins and sophisticated tools for shared content libraries, lawyers and their teams can streamline their workflow and maintain high standards in every message. Discover how leveraging these solutions, from simple template creation to advanced clause libraries, can transform your email game and help you focus on serving your clients.
Tools You Already Have
Outlook’s Quick Parts has long been an underused feature in Microsoft Outlook. You can copy text and/or images and save them as a Quick Part to drop into any outbound message with a click. Quick Parts have some limitations, primarily because they are stored on your computer and are subject to potential corruption, overwriting, or just mysteriously disappearing after a software update. The new Outlook does not include the Quick Parts feature.
My Templates is an admin-enabled add-in for Microsoft Outlook. Once enabled, a button in the Ribbon will allow you to create and reuse text snippets to drop into an email. While My Templates do not support formatting, you can copy and paste formatted text into a new My Template, so you can apply some formatting, such as bulleted or numbered lists and hyperlinks. My Templates are supported in classic and new Outlook. Due to a total file restriction of only 32KB for all templates, this feature must be used sparingly. Recently, some individuals discovered that their My Template text had disappeared after a product update and/or that the button had disappeared entirely from the Ribbon. For that reason, you may want to create a backup copy of your templates and clauses in a separate document.
In both classic and new Outlook, you can create an email complete with links, formatting, attachments, recipients, and a subject line and save it as a template. You can then use the template when drafting a new email. Microsoft provides instructions for creating an email message template in New, Classic, and Outlook on the Web, as well as instructions on how to send an email based on a template. While having emails saved as templates is certainly handy, you cannot respond to an email with an email saved as a template. In Classic Outlook you can write a rule that responds to an email with a template. For instance, if you have a web form for potential clients to fill out, you can create an email template as an auto-response to let the person know you are in receipt of their correspondence. However, rules in New Outlook are not as robust, and this option does not appear.
Gmail also has email templates, or what they call “canned responses”. To enable this feature go into your Settings – Advanced and make sure “Canned Responses (Templates)” is enabled. Then create a template by composing an email and clicking on the vertical ellipses in the lower right corner and saving it as a “canned response”. Then, when you want to use it, open a new email, click the vertical ellipses, and choose your template. You can use these canned responses in a newly composed email as well as in a response to an email.
Third Party Tools
For teams using MS Outlook, and now Gmail, the Ablebits has an add-on called Shared Email Templates that offers numerous excellent features for firms and starts at $36 per user per year after a 60-day free trial.
Another set of add-ons for Microsoft products comes from OfficeatWork. Built for Microsoft 365, they have apps for template creation, clause libraries for MS Word, and more. Firms that have invested in the creation of sophisticated MS Word templates that want to create and manage shared content libraries more effectively can get two tools – the Content Uploader that lets firms create (or select) reusable content and share within MS SharePoint so that the content is available across locations, devices, and platforms. With the Content Chooser you can then insert content from the shared clause library anywhere. Priced at $2.11 per user/month and $3.36 per user/month respectively, these sophisticated but lightweight tools enhance and expand the Microsoft suite capabilities.
Another option is a type of technology called a text expander. Text expanders are productivity tools that allow users to create shortcuts that automatically expand into longer blocks of text or complex, dynamic content. Many text expanders support logic-based conditionals, custom input fields, and even date calculations, allowing your snippets to adapt automatically based on matter specifics, recipient information, or critical deadlines. Products like TextBlaze, TextExpander, ActiveWords, and others can work across applications and on the web, to allow your firm to enhance consistency, and reduce time spent on repetitive documentation.
Conclusion
Ready to transform your email workflow? Start by exploring the options outlined above and choose the tools that best fit your practice needs. By using built-in tools like Outlook’s Quick Parts, My Templates, and message templates, Gmail’s Canned Responses, as well as exploring third-party solutions and text expanders, attorneys and their teams can streamline their communications, save valuable time, and maintain consistency across every message. Whether you’re working solo or as part of a larger firm, investing in the right email template strategy will help you stay responsive, organized, and focused on serving your clients.