4 Free Small Business Excel Templates for Field Service

Excel is like a toolbox, rusting in the basement.

You know that it has some basic functions and you put them to use when you can. Pull that hammer out and knock in a spare nail, tighten the screws on your cabinets, or fix a loose faucet handle.

But the same tools, in the hands of a craftsman, can turn spare lumber into furniture, make shelter from scraps, or integrate entirely new plumbing into an existing system.

When you start to tap into the power Excel provides, you open up new insights into your business and save yourself time and hassle. If you’re not ready to make the leap into a full-fledged accounting or field service software package, turbo charge your spreadsheets with these easy to use Excel templates.

Getting paid

If you’re a small business owner, priority number one is getting paid. Spreadsheet123 has a clean, clear invoice template that can turn your invoices from tacky to classy in a few clicks. The value of a real invoice can’t be overstated.

For you, a well-designed invoice means easier document tracking. Each and every invoice is numbered sequentially, making them easier to find and track. For customers, you provide a clear breakdown of costs and payment terms. You also present a professional face, making it harder to ignore those payment deadlines.

Good looking Invoices are a must.

Keeping it all organized

Now you’ve gotten paid and things are running along smoothly. Hold up. A $500 repair to a truck? You have no idea how much you’ve spent on repairs this year. Actually, how much is even in your account?

Accounting is the way businesses track their earnings and expenses, while avoiding phone calls from the IRS. Mark Holtzman, CPA – and an associate professor of accounting at Seton Hall – has put together a simple and functional accounting template for small businesses. It tracks everything you make and spend, and generates a simple profit report, as well.

Thanks, Dr. Holtzman!

Tracking your equipment

In addition to tracking how much you’re earning, you need to keep an eye on how much stuff you have. Microsoft has generated a slew of Excel templates, free for users. Some of them are less useful, but the “Equipment inventory and depreciation schedule” is great.

This template allows you to enter in major purchases you’ve made, and depreciate their value over time. This is important for your taxes, and can save you a bundle, when managed well. Check with your accountant for more details about depreciation.

To find the template, you’ll have to start a new document in Excel. Then, on the Available Templates page, search for “equipment inventory and depreciation schedule” – see below. It’ll be the only one that shows up.

Tracking employee time

Even if you’ve only got three other people on your staff, it’s still important to have a way to track all their time. Vertex42 has a simple, but powerful, timecard template. It allows you to track working hours, break time, and any paid or sick time used.

All that info feeds into a payment calculator so that you can put everything in one place. The company has both weekly and biweekly versions, so owners can align their filing to their payment schedules. As a nice addition, these templates come with an extra sheet that manages California’s byzantine overtime rules so you don’t have to.

Putting it all together

With invoicing, accounting, equipment, and timesheets all sorted, you’ve turned Excel from a rusting monotasker into a stunning multitasker. This is just a small taste of what Excel can do for small businesses working on limited budgets. Each of the resources linked to here has more to offer. So poke around and find the tools you need to turn your operation into a smoothly running machine.