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How to bulk generate letters and labels using Mail Merge

Dave Carr
Dave Carr
  • Updated

This article covers how to use Spektrix data to create a mail merge. We’ll guide you through how to create a mail merge to generage letters or labels and how to complete and upload a Mail Merge Template into Spektrix.

 

What is a mail merge?

A mail merge is a tool that you can use to create personalised documents for multiple customers by combining a data from Spektrix with a document template.

You can use a mail merge to bulk create personalised letters which are addressed to your customers using data from Spektrix.

Instead of addressing each letter separately, you can upload a template into Spektrix which contains merge fields. For each applicable customer, the data is taken from their Customer Record and added to the merge fields in the letter. This means you can automatically add addresses to letters or print address labels in bulk.

 

What do I need to create a mail merge?

To create a mail merge using Spektrix data, you’ll need:

  • A mail merge letter or label template
  • A Customer List containing the recipients you want to contact

 

Which fields can be used in a mail merge template?

There are a limited number of fields from Spektrix which are available to use in a Mail Merge Template. You can only use the following fields in a Mail Merge Template.

You must enter the merge fields exactly as formatted below:

  • Email
  • Title
  • FirstName
  • LastName
  • FullName
  • CustomerId
  • FormalSalutation
  • InformalSalutation
  • AddressLine1
  • AddressLine2
  • AddressLine3
  • AddressLine4
  • AddressLine5
  • PostTown
  • Postcode
  • County
  • Country
  • OrganisationName

REMINDER: Only the above merge fields will work in a Mail Merge Template. Merge fields must be formatted exactly as above. For example, FirstName will work, but First Name will not. Using any kind of Date Field will cause the mail merge to fail when creating a mailing.

 

Merge Field Variations

Some fields in Spektrix differ depending on whether you’re in the UK, Republic of Ireland, US or Canada.

For example, a UK system uses Postcode and a US system uses Zipcode.

When creating a mail merge, you can use any of the following variations for Postcode and Country regardless of your location.

Postcode

You can substitute Postcode with any of the following:

  • PostalCode
  • ZipCode
  • Eircode

TIP: Postcode, PostalCode, ZipCode and Eircode fields are interchangeable. For example, if you’re in the US you can use Canada’s PostalCode merge field instead of Zipcode. Your customer’s Zip codes will still appear in the mail merge as these fields are all linked.

County

You can substitute County with any of the following:

  • State
  • Province

TIP: County, State and Province fields are interchangeable. For example, if you’re in the UK you can use the US State merge field instead of County. The County will appear in the Mail Merge as these fields are all linked.

 

How to create a Letter and Label Mail Merge Templates

To create a mail merge, you’ll first need to create a Mail Merge Template in Microsoft Word. You can create a letter and label template using the same method.

Creating a Letter Template

TIP: The process for creating a Mail Merge Template may differ depending on which version of Microsoft Word you’re using. These steps use Microsoft 365.

  1. Open a new document in Microsoft Word and save as a [.docx] file extension:


    save_template.png

     

  2. In each part of the document where you want to add a merge field, go to Insert > Quick Parts:


    insert_quick_parts.png

     

  3. Click Field:


    quick_parts_field.png

     

  4. You’ll see a Field screen:

     

    merge_fields_in_word.png

     

Complete the following information:

  1. Choose MergeField from the Field names menu.
  2. Enter your merge field name into the Field name box. Your merge field must be entered exactly as listed above.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Save your template as a [.docx] file extension

TIP: To edit a merge field, you’ll need to go back into Insert > Quick Parts > Field.

 

Creating a Label Template

TIP: The process for creating a Mail Merge Template may differ depending on which version of Microsoft Word you’re using. These steps use Microsoft 365.

  1. Open a new document in Microsoft Word and save as a [.docx] file extension:


    save_template.png

     

  2. In Microsoft Word, click on the Mailings tab:


    mailings_tab.png

     

  3. Click Start Mail Merge > Labels:


    mailings_labels.png

     

  4. You'll see a Label Options screen:

    label_options.png

     

Complete the following:

  1. Choose your Label vendor from the dropdown
  2. Select the Product number of your labels
  3. Click OK

You’ll then see a page of blank labels has been created.

 

Inserting merge fields into a Label

Insert your merge fields into the first label by following these steps:

  1. Open a new document in Microsoft Word and save as a [.docx] file extension:


    save_template.png

     

  2. In each part of the document where you want to add a merge field, go to Insert > Quick Parts:


    insert_quick_parts.png

     

  3. Click Field:


    quick_parts_field.png

     

  4. You’ll see a Field screen:

     

    merge_fields_in_word.png

     

Complete the following information:

  1. Choose MergeField from the Field names menu.
  2. Enter your merge field name into the Field name box. Your merge field must be entered exactly as listed above.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Repeat these steps until you’ve added the following merge fields into your first label:

     

    one_label.png

     

  5. Once you’ve added your merge fields into the first label, click Mailings > Update Labels:

     

    mailing_update_labels.png

     

  6. This will copy your merge fields into all of the labels:

     

    multiple_labels.png

    TIP: From the second label onwards, you’ll see a <<Next Record>> field. When combining the data from Spektrix, this field inserts the next customer’s details into each label.

  7. Save your template as a [.docx] file extension

TIP: To edit a merge field, you’ll need to go back into Insert > Quick Parts > Field.

 

Uploading a Mail Merge Template into Spektrix

Once you’ve created your Mail Merge letter template, you can import it into Spektrix in the Insights & Mailings Interface.

TIP: To access Insights & Mailings, you’ll need the Insights & Mailings User or Insights & Mailings Administrator Role. If you don’t have these Roles, ask the Spektrix administrator in your organisation to add these Roles to your User Account.

In Insights & Mailings, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Mailings > Mail Merge Templates:
  2. Click Add:


    add_merge_template.png

     

  3. You’ll see an Edit Merge Template screen:


    edit_merge_template_screen.png

     

Complete the following:

  • Name: Enter a name for your Merge Template
  • Template file: Click Choose File to upload your Merge Template from your computer.
  • Click Save to add your Merge Template.

Your mail merge template must be less than 1mb with a [.docx] file extension.

 

How to record mailings using Mail Merge in Spektrix

Using your mail merge template, you can record Mailings in the same way as other Standard Mailings (postal mailing) in Spektrix. 

Before you can record the Mailing, you’ll need to build a Customer List of the Customers you want to send the mailing to.

REMINDER: To access Insights & Mailings, you’ll need the Insights & Mailings User or Insights & Mailings Administrator Role. If you don’t have these Roles, ask the Spektrix administrator in your organisation to add these Roles to your User Account.

In Insights & Mailings, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Mailings > New standard mailing:


    mailing_new_standard_mailing.png

     

  2. You’ll see a New Mailing screen:


    new_mailing_screen.png

     

Complete the following fields:

  • Name: Enter a clear and descriptive name for your Mailing.

     

  • Mailing Category: Choose your Mailing Category from the dropdown list. For example, Marketing, Development etc.

     

  • Fulfilment Method: Choose the method you’ll use to send the mailing. For example 1st Class Post, 2nd Class Post. You can create a new fulfilment method by clicking New.

     

  • Send: Enter the date you’ll send your Mailing.

     

  • Expected receipt: Enter the expected date your mailing will be received.

     

  • Send to: Choose All or A Random Sample. If you choose A Random Sample, you can specify a percentage of the total or a fixed number of recipients:


    send_to_a_random_sample.png

     

  • Output As: Select Mail Merge. Choose your Mail Merge Template from the dropdown:


    output_as_mail_merge.png

     

  • Customer List: Select the Customer List you want to send the mailing to.

     

  • Target Events: If you want this mailing in an ROI report.Select any Events by clicking Edit. Under Events to choose from, select your Event(s). Click the right arrow to move to Selected Events. Click Ok:

    select_target_events.png

    TIP:  To include this mailing in an ROI Report, you must choose Target Events. The ROI report helps to track effectiveness of mailing activities by determining the initial cost of sending the email versus the impact of a particular mailing.

    Read The ROI Report for more information.

     

  • Click Save Mailing:


    confirm_saved_mailing.png

    Spektrix will pull out all of the data for the merge fields you’ve selected and insert it into the document: 

 

This creates one letter or label per customer:

You’ll then receive an email sent to the email address that’s set up on your Spektrix user account. This email will contain a link to the letters or labels populated with data from the  Customer List used in the mailing. 

You can also download the original document from the Mailing record you have created. To do this follow these steps:

  1. In Insights & Mailings, go to Mailings > Mailings:


    mailings_mailings_menu.png

     

  2. Enter your search criteria and click Search:


    search_mailings.png

     

  3. Select your Mailing record:


    select_mailing_record.png

     

  4. Click Download merge template:


    download_merge_template.png

     

 

Further Reading

This article should give you the information you need to use mail merge in Spektrix. To learn more about communicating with your customers, visit the Communicate with your customers section of the Support Centre.