You’re Wasting Time Every Day—Here’s How to Stop: Email Templates
AUTHOR: Tim Willment of Architecture Templates
You write emails every day. A lot of them.
The average professional spends more than 2.5 hours a day on emails—whether responding to enquiries, following up with contractors, or sending progress updates to clients. But here’s the thing: these tasks don’t have to take up that much time.
Think about it: how many of those emails are you writing from scratch? Emails that you write over, and over, and over.
Emailing feels like one of those things you just have to do. But you could spend a fraction of that time on it while still maintaining a professional, personal touch. You can do this without sounding like an impersonal robot.
Here is how you can use email templates, and how you can build them yourself.
You can save time writing emails.
Writing the same type of email over and over again is a waste of your mental energy. When you could be working on your next design proposal, creating client presentations, or even expanding your business, why spend time drafting yet another follow-up email? The same follow-up email you’ve probably written 2 – 3 times that month? Or even a week?
There’s a way to stay personal, but not constantly type from scratch. By using flexible email templates, you free up headspace to focus on the core tasks that matter most. Once you’ve got them in place, they work for you every time.
Email templates aren’t just for convenience—they’re a system. A system that streamlines your communication, keeps your voice consistent and ensures nothing falls through the cracks. They also act as an educational tool, for younger staff members, allowing you to maintain professionalism, and ensure all the key information has been either conveyed or asked for at the right time.
The Benefits of Email Templates.
Time Savings, Every Single Day
Imagine how many hours you could reclaim if you weren’t crafting the same email from scratch.
Professional Consistency
A lot of emails are client-facing, and that means they reflect your brand. Templates help you maintain a consistent tone and professionalism across all your communications, making your business look sharp and reliable.
Eliminate Typos and Mistakes
When you’re writing the same thing over and over, small mistakes slip through. Email templates give you a well-crafted, error-free foundation every time. As someone who has always struggled with grammar, and being able to concisely convey a complex topic, systemising this has been so great.
Streamlined Communication for Your Team
If you have a team, templates ensure everyone is on the same page—literally. They can follow the same structured communication you’ve designed, which means no more mixed messaging to clients or contractors.
Types of Emails You Should Have Templates For
When it comes to architecture or interior design, there are several emails you send regularly. Here’s a breakdown of the ones you want to template:
- Client Acquisition: Enquiry responses, follow-ups, and proposals.
- Project Updates: Site visit notifications, design revisions, weekly status updates.
- Invoicing: Payment requests, reminders, final notices.
- Client Boundaries: Handling requests outside of scope, managing expectations, and setting timelines.
- Contractor Communications: Instructions, approvals, clarifications.
- Handover: Final walkthrough, project completion, testimonial requests.
Each of these emails can be templated, tweaked for personalisation, and used again and again to ensure professional, timely communication.
What Makes a Good Email Template?
Now that we’ve established which types of emails should be templated, let’s talk about what makes a good template.
Personalisation Options
A good template is not one-size-fits-all. It should include placeholders that allow you to easily plug in the recipient’s name, project details, or specific timelines.
Example: “Hi [Client Name],” “I wanted to update you on [Project Name].”
Clear and Concise Structure
Clients and contractors don’t have time to read through unnecessary information and waffle. A solid template should be clear, direct, and easy to follow.
Call to Action
Whether you’re waiting for a client’s feedback or confirmation on a design, a good template should prompt them to take the next step.
Aligned with Your Brand Voice
Whether you prefer a more formal tone or something slightly casual, your email templates should reflect your brand’s voice so they feel natural and authentic to the reader.
Platforms for Email Templates
There are several tools and platforms where you can store your email templates, but I’ve found Google Docs to be one of the most user-friendly and efficient. Why?
- Easy Access with Clickable Contents: I keep my templates organised in a Google Doc, complete with a clickable table of contents so I can jump to the email I need instantly. Whether I’m looking for a follow-up email or to terminate an uncomfortable client relationship, it’s just a click away.
- Collaborative: Google Docs allows easy sharing with your team, so everyone is working from the same set of professional templates.
- No Formatting Hassles: You can copy and paste emails directly into your email platform without worrying about breaking the format.
If you’re working with a large number of emails, it allows you to quickly find what you need, exactly when you need it.
Breaking Down an Email Template System for Easy Access
When creating or organising your email templates, make sure they are easy to navigate. Here’s how I structure mine:
Categories by Project Stage
I break my templates into these sections, it feels logical and as chronological as you could get for your projects:
- Client Acquisition
- Client Onboarding
- Feasibility Study
- Concept Stage
- Developed Design / Planning
- Update Emails
- Client Boundary Emails
- Invoicing
- Construction-Related
- Handover
- Human Resources
Clickable Table of Contents
Adding a clickable table of contents at the top of the Google Doc lets you instantly jump to the section you need.
Use Descriptive Titles
Make your email titles clear and descriptive, so you know exactly which template to use in each situation.
By structuring your templates this way, you’ll save even more time and eliminate the friction of searching through emails.
We’ve Done the Work For You
Most professionals don’t have the time to sit down and create 65 email templates from scratch. And why should you? It’s probably not the best use of your time.
Our collection of 65 hand-drafted email templates is specifically tailored for architects and interior designers. Whether it’s onboarding a client, managing project updates, or handling tricky boundary situations, these templates cover what you need.
You can check out our email templates here.
