[Video] Mail Merge Guide

Mail Merge is a desktop application designed to send personalized letters for signature to a larger number of recipients than SafeSend Signatures will typically allow. Once installed, you can create templates and mailing lists to deliver documents like engagement letters in bulk. 

The video below demonstrates how to create Mail Merge templates and complete the Mail Merge process. 

See our Mail Merge Guide for additional information. 

52 STEPS

1. Welcome to the Mail Merge guide! Use the application to create templates and mailing lists to deliver documents like engagement letters in bulk. A Microsoft Word® template and corresponding CSV file are created for this process.

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2. The first step is to open a Microsoft Word® document and click SafeSend Signatures. For help installing the add-in, see our Mail Merge Guide article.

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3. Click E-Sign Action Center to open the add-in.

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4. You can place signature fields on the document. The client will be prompted to perform an action on these fields, except the date field which is auto-filled. Navigate to the page that requires client input.

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5. Click the Signature Placement tab in the SafeSend Signatures add-in.

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6. Select the appropriate Signer from the drop-down.

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7. Place your cursor on the page where the field should be placed.

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8. Double-click to place the field.

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9. The signature block is placed on the form. The client will be prompted to sign here.

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10. Click the signature block to mark the signature as required. This checkbox is de-selected by default.

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11. Continue to place fields for that signer as needed by placing your cursor in the correct location, then double-clicking the signature block option.

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12. Select any additional signers from the drop-down.

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13. Add signature blocks for that signer the same way they were added for Signer 1.

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14. Follow the same steps to place fields like checkboxes.

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15. When a Data Field is added, you can click the block to open a tooltip window and enter a prompt for the client. They will be able to type into this field. Re-size the block on the document to allow for more text.

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16. Select the Required checkbox to require the client to fill the field.

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16b. Click

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17. You can also add merge fields to the document. Data is pulled from the CSV template to auto-fill those fields.

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18. Click the Mail Merge tab.

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19. Place your cursor on the page where the merge field should be placed.

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20. Single-click the merge field to place it.

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21. Click Create Custom Merge Fields to add a new merge field.

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22. Enter a merge field name. Any spaces will be removed. No special characters are allowed.

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23. Click Place Field to apply the new merge field.

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24. Once all Signature and Merge fields are placed, save the Microsoft Word® document.

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25. Click Create CSV Template to generate a CSV file that includes headers for all of your Merge Fields. This CSV file is customized to match the Microsoft Word® template.

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26. Save the CSV template to your PC.

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27. Click OK.

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28. Open the CSV file. The Version number and column headers are generated from the Microsoft Word® file. The Version cell is required and should not be moved or edited.

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29. Do not edit any of the column headers, even if the cell or cells below will be left blank.

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30. Signer1Email and Taxpayer Name are required fields and must be filled. All other fields are optional and can be left blank. If a merge field is left blank, the space occupied by the field in the Microsoft Word® document is removed.

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31. There is no limit on the number of recipients that can be added, but the more recipients there are the longer the merge process will take. Mail Merge can be left open in the background while the files are merged.

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32. Ensure fields that contain numbers are formatted correctly. Microsoft Excel® removes leading zeros by default, so some Client IDs and Zip Codes may be affected. See our Leading Zeros in CSV Template article for more information.

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33. Once all recipient information has been entered, save and close the document. Close the Microsoft Word® document as well.

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34. Open the Mail Merge desktop application.

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35. Click Create Document Template to open Microsoft Word® and build a new template.

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36. Click Open Document Template to upload an existing template. This opens a file browser where you can select the document.

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37. Click CSV FILE to upload your filled CSV file. This opens a file browser where you can select the document.

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38. The uploaded document names are displayed below the upload options.

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39. Click Check Errors to continue.

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40. If no errors are found, the Pre Merge Errors window is blank. If errors are found, they are described in the window. Correct any errors in the Microsoft Word® template and CSV file and upload the corrected documents. Click Merge Files to continue.

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41. The merge progress displays. This may take several minutes to complete depending on the number of documents being merged, but you can allow the program to work in the background.

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42. The Merged Documents List shows what documents and email addresses were recognized. Double click the document name to preview it. Click Configuration to continue.

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43. The Mail Merge Configuration Options display your default Signatures settings. Click Document Type, Expiry Date or Tax Year to edit them.

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44. Select the Sender Signing Order if a Sender Signature block was included in the Microsoft Word® document.

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45. Select an Office Location and Contact Person.

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46. Select a Signing Sequence. Parallel Signing allows all signers to sign at the same time. Custom Signing Sequence forces clients to sign in order. Signer 2 will not receieve an access link until Signer 1 completes signing.

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47. Select a message template from the drop-down, or create a new message by clicking the plus button.

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48. Select Access Code Required to add an additional layer of security. The document recipient is required to enter an access code sent to their email address before viewing or signing.

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49. Click Send for Signature to deliver the documents.

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50. The merge progress displays. This may take several minutes to complete depending on the number of documents being merged, but you can allow the program to work in the background.

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51. Once the items are sent, they appear in your Delivered report in Signatures.

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52. This concludes our tutorial. Thank you for watching!

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** Best experienced in Full Screen (click the icon in the top right corner before you begin) **

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