The letters list window will display all the active letters registered using the Letter Setup window. These letters will have been prepared using Access Office Integration and MS Word to create a Word Mail Merge document that contains links to the Dimensions database.

See Letter Setup for version information and advice.

The Letters function is available on the toolbar of the CRM Control window and the CRM Data Entry window.

To produce a single letter for one contact: open the Customer or Prospect record in the CRM Data Entry window; select the Contact to which the letter is to be sent and use the Letters function on the Data Entry window.

To produce multiple letters for a selection of contacts from various Customer or Prospect records: build a list of records in the CRM Control window; select those that are to receive the letter and use the Letters function on the Control window

Note: there is a known problem with the execution of the mail merge where Access Office Integration and/or other applications have been uninstalled. See Trouble Shooting for further information.

Here, we will describe the use of the letters list from the CRM Control window.

The first step is to build a list of the records for which you wish to print a letter. This list is built on the CRM Control window.

Use one of the search tab cards to locate the records that are to be updated.

Highlight the records in the list. All the records in the list can be selected using the Shift key and a mouse click; individual records can be selected using the Ctrl key with a mouse click.

When you have located and highlighted the records for which a letter is to be printed, click the Letters function on the toolbar.

A list of your active letters will be displayed.

Use the tool bar functions to limit the letters that are displayed: Letters only; Emails only or both.

Select the letter you wish to use.

Letters

From the output functions on the toolbar, select Screen to preview the letters for reviewing before printing.

The letters will be opened in Word, but this process is like printing to screen and you will not be prompted to save the document.

If you are running any Office version earlier to Office 2007, then attempting to run a Word 2007 (.docx) template will not work as the computer will not be able to recognise the file type.

If you wish to save the previewed document, you should use the Save option on the Word menu to do so.

Select the Printer function to print a copy of the letter.

Select the File function to produce a file copy of the letter.

The print output will be sent to your default printer. You will be unable to select a different printer for these documents.

Emails

Email output must be selected in the word mail merge template.

The letter will be sent as an attachment to the Email.

A file copy of the letter can be saved and attached to the Prospect or Customer record by ticking the Save as document option at the foot of the window.

Both

Attach Template to Campaign A copy of the letter or Email template can be attached to the campaign record as a document, so that you can see which letters have been sent and when.

If you are attempting to run a Word 2007 (.docx) Letter template, then make sure that your computer is running Office 2007 otherwise the template will not run (if you are running any of the Office versions earlier to Office 2007)

Tick the box and enter the Campaign code, or click on the search function to open a list of active campaigns from which you can select.

The template will be saved as a Document, available from the Campaign records window. The description for the document will be 'Campaign Letter sent on <<date>>’.

Click OK to begin the mail merge process.

Details will be extracted from Prospect and Customer records you have selected according to the values that are required for the mail merge document.

Access Office Integration

When you prepare Word mail merge documents using Access Office Integration, the template document that you create will hold it's own output settings.

This is so that the mail merge can take place from within Word without the need to open Dimensions.

However, when the document is processed from the CRM module in Dimensions, the settings entered in Dimensions will take priority.

In fact, the output settings will always be those entered in the CRM module.