Handling documents can be challenging and take up a lot of time. Whether dealing with employment agreements, contracts, or other important documents, the time and effort involved in creating these manually can be overwhelming. Fortunately, with the advent of automation tools like Make, businesses can significantly streamline document creation processes. This blog explores how Make can be leveraged to create document templates with dynamic variables, thereby reducing manual work and improving overall efficiency.
Real World Use Case
Ada, an HR coordinator, is tasked with generating mountains of employment agreements daily. She struggles with the repetitive nature of the work, which is time-consuming and often leads to errors due to the manual process.
Frustrated by the inefficiency, Ada begins to consider a solution: creating a template for each agreement, with placeholders for variables such as employee name, start date and job title. By automating the process of populating these templates with the relevant data, she could drastically reduce the time and effort required to generate each document.
The best part is, the same methodology could easily be applied in any department where repetitive document creation is necessary!
Steps to Automate Document Creation with Templates
Step 1: Create a new scenario in Make and prepare a list of candidates for whom agreements need to be created. In this example, we use Google Sheets to organise the list.
Step 2: Prepare an agreement template. Identify the variables that need to be dynamically generated, such as the employee's name, start date, job title, etc. Each variable should be enclosed in double curly braces ({{}}). Below is a sample agreement with placeholders for the various variables.
Note: This agreement is a simplified sample and is intended to demonstrate an automation workflow. For a professional agreement, please consult with a legal expert.
Step 3: Store the template in SharePoint. Download the agreement template from SharePoint for later process.
Step 4: Configure the Microsoft Word Templates module to dynamically insert values into the document.
First, click on "Show advanced settings" to reveal the customisation options.
Under "Values," we define the placeholders and the data that will replace them. The Key corresponds to the variable names in the Word template (e.g., "Employee Name" and "Job Title").
Each Value is dynamically passed from the Google Sheets data, ensuring that the correct information (e.g., employee name, job title) is inserted into the template.
Step 5: Upload the filled-out document to SharePoint. Then you will find the completed agreement in the designated SharePoint folder.
Sample outcome: With just one click, three agreements were generated dynamically in under a minute! If needed, those agreements can be automatically converted to PDF or sent via email to candidates. The process can be customised to suit different requirements.
Advanced Use: Generate Document Based on Different Situations
A single template cannot cover all scenarios. However, this can be managed using a "Router" feature. In our previous example, we have three candidates from different departments. For each department, we can create a separate template and then use filters to route the data to the correct template.
By applying these filters, the automation process will automatically select and use the appropriate template based on the department of each candidate, ensuring that all agreements are customised accordingly.
This method allows for greater flexibility and accuracy without the need to select the template manually.
Additional Tools for Potential Integration
HR Management Systems (e.g., Workday): automatically pull in employee data, streamline the onboarding process, and ensure consistency across all documents.
CRM Systems (e.g., Salesforce): Integrating with a CRM system can automate the population of contract details directly from customer records.
Document Storage Solutions (e.g., SharePoint, Google Drive): Automatically save signed documents to a secure storage solution, ensuring they are easily accessible and well-organised.
Project Management Tools (e.g., Asana, Trello): Automatically trigger tasks or projects based on signed agreements.
Conclusion
Automating document creation with Make not only saves time but also reduces the potential for errors and ensures consistency across all documents. By leveraging templates with variables, businesses can streamline their document management processes, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks. Whether managing employment agreements, contracts, or other repetitive documents, Make offers a powerful solution to enhance efficiency and improve overall workflow.
As a Gold Partner of Make, Ava Tech is here to help you unlock the full potential of your automation solutions. Contact us today!