1. Manual ways to create Excel and Sheets templates

Before you bring in automation or an AI agent, it helps to master the classic ways humans build templates.

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A. Create an Excel template from a finished workbook

1. Open the workbook you want to reuse.
2. Clean it up:
   • Remove any one-off data (keep only sample rows if helpful).
   • Lock key formulas and structure.
3. Click File > Save As.
4. Choose a folder you’ll remember (ideally your Custom Office Templates folder).
5. In Save as type, choose Excel Template (*.xltx).
6. Name it clearly, e.g. RPT_Sales_Pipeline_Monthly.xltx.
7. Click Save.

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On Windows, Excel will usually propose the Custom Office Templates path (for details, see Microsoft’s guide to saving templates: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/save-a-workbook-as-a-template-58c6625a-2c0b-4446-9689-ad8baec39e1e).

To use it later:

1. Open Excel.
2. Click File > New.
3. Choose Personal and double-click your template.

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B. Create an Excel template and set your default template folder

If your team lives in templates, set a default folder so they’re easy to find:

1. Go to File > Options > Save.
2. In Default personal templates location, paste the path of your shared template folder (e.g. a synced OneDrive/SharePoint folder).
3. Click OK.
4. Save new templates into that folder using Save As > Excel Template.

Now every template in that folder appears under File > New > Personal, giving your whole team a curated template gallery.

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C. Create a Google Sheets template manually

Google Sheets doesn’t use a .xltx file, but the pattern is similar: design once, copy many times.

1. Open a blank Sheet.
2. Design your layout:
   • Add headers, freeze the top row.
   • Apply data validation for dropdowns.
   • Add formulas and conditional formatting.
3. Name the file clearly, e.g. Template – Client Onboarding Tracker.
4. Store it in a shared drive folder your team can access.

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To reuse it, you have two simple options:

• Make a copy: File > Make a copy and rename for that client or campaign.
• Or use the Template gallery (if your workspace allows it) by submitting your Sheet as a custom template.

Google’s official docs on creating files from templates: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/6000292

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D. Build a small library of templates

For business owners and agencies, think in categories:

• Sales: pipeline tracker, outbound sequence tracker, renewal calendar.
• Marketing: content calendar, campaign performance, UTM log.
• Ops/Finance: invoices, budget vs. actuals, payroll summary.

Manually, you create each once in Excel or Google Sheets, store them in predictable folders, and agree as a team: “Always start from a template, never from a blank file.”

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2. No‑code methods using automation tools

Once the basics are in place, you can stop hunting for templates and let no-code tools do the filing and copying.

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A. Auto‑copy a Google Sheets template for each new deal

Use tools like Zapier or Make (Integromat) to trigger from your CRM:

1. Trigger: "New deal" or "New customer" in HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Salesforce.
2. Action: "Copy file" in Google Drive.
   • Choose your master Google Sheets template.
   • Name the copy dynamically, e.g. {{Company}} – Onboarding Tracker.
   • Save into the right client folder.
3. Optional actions:
   • Write the Sheet URL back to the CRM record.
   • Share the file with your account manager.

Result: every time sales closes a deal, the onboarding template appears automatically—no one touches Sheets.

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B. Auto‑generate Excel files from an Excel template

If your team is on Microsoft 365:

1. Store your .xltx templates in a shared SharePoint or OneDrive folder.
2. In Power Automate (Flow):
   • Trigger: new row in a "Deals" Excel table or new item in a SharePoint list.
   • Action: Create file from your template folder (or copy an existing .xlsx template file).
   • Name the new workbook with dynamic fields (client, month, territory).
3. Add a step to email the link to the account owner.

This keeps Excel in your stack while removing the repetitive admin around file creation.

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C. Use built‑in template galleries as "no‑code" starters

Don’t overlook the native galleries:

• Excel offers ready-made planners, budgets, invoices, and Gantt charts (see Microsoft’s template library: https://excel.cloud.microsoft/search/templates/).
• Google Sheets has calendars, project trackers, and more available in Template gallery.

You can start from these, customize for your business, then treat your customized version as the "golden" template for future automations.

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3. Scaling template creation with an AI agent

Manual and no‑code flows are powerful, but they still assume a human sets up the template logic. An AI agent like Simular can go further: it behaves like a power assistant at the keyboard.

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A. Let an AI agent build and save templates end‑to‑end

Imagine you describe the template in plain language:

"Create a weekly sales dashboard in Excel with a raw data tab, a pivot summary, conditional formatting for deals over $50k, and save it as a template for the Enterprise team."

A Simular AI agent can:

• Open Excel on your desktop.
• Insert the required sheets and headers.
• Add formulas, pivots, and conditional formatting.
• Click File > Save As > Excel Template (*.xltx).
• Save into the correct shared template folder your team uses.

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Pros:

• Captures your best-practice logic once without you clicking through every menu.
• Works across complex, multi-step UIs where traditional RPA often breaks.

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Cons:

• Needs a clear initial brief and a couple of supervised runs.
• Best for repeatable patterns (e.g., monthly variants), not one-off experiments.

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B. Auto‑generate filled workbooks from templates on demand

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Once your template exists, the agent can:

• Watch for new entries in your CRM or project tool.
• Open Google Sheets or Excel.
• Create a new file from the right template.
• Pre-fill client, date, owner, and region fields.
• Drop the link back into your system or email.

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Compared with no‑code tools, the AI agent can also:

• Adjust the template slightly per segment (e.g., extra tab for enterprise clients).
• Apply nuanced business rules you describe in natural language.

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C. Maintain and evolve templates without manual rework

Templates age. New KPIs, pricing models, and channels appear.

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You can:

• Ask the agent to open your existing Google Sheets or Excel templates.
• Update formulas, visuals, or data validation.
• Re-save the updated version while archiving the old one.

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Pros:

• Keeps your entire template library in sync with how the business actually runs.
• Reduces "shadow templates" where teams secretly fork their own versions.

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Cons:

• You still need governance: naming conventions, review steps, and access control.

By combining manual craftsmanship, no-code triggers, and an AI agent like Simular to operate Excel and Google Sheets directly, you turn templates into a living system—always current, always ready, and created without burning your team’s attention on admin.

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