Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature

QuanTriMang - Microsoft Word's Mail Merge feature is one of the great tools for people who regularly work with text, email . In the following article, we will present some steps Basic to use and manage Mail 2010 's Merge Wizard . Here are some steps we need to proceed in order.

Create Distribution list:

The Mail Merge function makes it easy for us to 'exit' from the tedious data entry process by directly entering email addresses from Outlook, Excel, Access or Word data. Among these options, Outlook is the most suitable and popular, and in the next step, we will go through the process of importing data lists directly from Outlook.

Set up Mail Profile:

This setup process will begin by creating a Mail Profile to store relevant information such as addresses, passwords, specifications .:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 1

For each account, users can create different individual profiles:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 2

The name of the profile should be set to match and easy to remember with a fixed email account:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 3

Suitable options for configuring email using the address you received from your service provider or your own account via the 3rd option:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 4

Select Internet E-mail if you want to use a support email address via POP protocol, such as Gmail:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 5

Each email service provider has a different POP configuration, so make sure you select and use these parameters correctly:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 6

Once we have passed this basic setup and configuration step, we are ready to move on to the next step:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 7

Specify directory to store contact list:

Users can manually import data lists into Outlook, or import directly from other supporting applications, such as GMail, Yahoo, or Hotmail . Most web-based email service providers often support the ability to export contacts to Outlook databases. For example, Gmail allows users to export data to a CSV file - compatible with Outlook:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 8

Outlook's import feature supports many popular formats like csv, vcard, RSS, iCalendar .:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 9

You just need to choose the right file type in the list:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 10

Common formats such as ACT, DOS CSV, Lotus, Access 97-2003, PST . are available, in this test we choose Comma Separated Values ​​(Windows):

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 11

Next, point the link to the folder where the CSV file has been exported from Gmail:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 12

Of all the directories listed here, select Contacts :

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 13

This import process will happen fast or slow depending on the amount of data backed up:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 14

Use Mail Merge:

Let's start with a new text, select Mail :

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 15

To get used, it's best to select the Step by Step :

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 16

The program will ask us to choose between the corresponding templates, our example here is E-mail messages:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 17

And start writing emails from blank text, templates or available documents:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 18

Select Next Select from Outlook contacts :

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 19

And use Mail Profile in the list we have set up earlier:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 20

The correct list must have a Count greater than 0:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 21

Select the account you want to keep in the email section by checking:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 22

After that, you can edit the email as usual, and insert the appropriate data fields into the relevant sections such as headlines, signatures, posts .:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 23

Each merged data field is enclosed by << >> , and the information will be fully displayed when you finish this process:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 24

See Preview mode to check if Word handles data fields correctly after merge, with the path Next: Preview your e-mail messages :

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 25

If you are satisfied with the result above, select Next: complete the merge and Word will automatically send the email template to all recipients in the list.

Personalize the letter header:

The whole process can be divided into specific segments as follows: select the appropriate text sample, create a list, insert data and view Preview, and finally send to the list of recipients prepared. At this point, we can easily recognize two other components that are not supported, namely writing titles with personal information and setting up different attachments. In fact, we must use macros to apply in the mail merge, before completing the entire process.

In the message template that is currently open, press Alt + F11 and double-click thisDocument to open the Macro:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 26

Then, use the following code snippet - written by macro programmer hutchinsfairy:

Dim WithEvents wdapp As Application

Dim EMAIL_SUBJECT As String

Dim FIRST_RECORD As Boolean

Private Sub Document_Open ()

Set wdapp = Application

ThisDocument.MailMerge.ShowWizard 1

End Sub

Private Sub Document_Close ()

Set wdapp = Nothing

End Sub

Private Sub wdapp_MailMergeBeforeRecordMerge (ByVal Doc As Document, Cancel As Boolean)

Dim i As Integer

With ActiveDocument.MailMerge

If FIRST_RECORD = True Then

EMAIL_SUBJECT = .MailSubject

FIRST_RECORD = False

Else .MailSubject = EMAIL_SUBJECT

End If

i = .DataSource.DataFields.Count

Due to i> 0

.MailSubject = Replace (.MailSubject, "<" & .DataSource.DataFields (i) .Name & ">", .DataSource.DataFields (i) .Value,,, vbTextCompare)

i = i - 1

Loop

End With

End Sub

Private Sub wdapp_MailMergeBeforeMerge (ByVal Doc As Document, ByVal StartRecord As Long, ByVal EndRecord As Long, Cancel As Boolean)

FIRST_RECORD = True

End Sub

Private Sub wdapp_MailMergeAfterMerge (ByVal Doc As Document, ByVal DocResult As Document)

ActiveDocument.MailMerge.MailSubject = EMAIL_SUBJECT

End Sub

Save the changes, go back to the edit page and select Next: complete the merge:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 27

Click the Electronic Mail link . to send the message:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 28

Replace the matching merge data field, inside the <> mark in the subject line:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 29

The macro will automatically analyze and replace it with the Last Name section of the recipient when Word sends this text via email.

Attach different file types:

In the next section, we will use a support add - in that allows users to attach various files in an email.

If you visit here, download and extract the add-in, there will be a number of Word Document templates. If you are using Microsoft word 2007 or 2010 , select CreateEMailData Word 2007 Ver02 , but with Word 2003 , use CreateEMailData Word 2003 Ver02 :

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 30

Copy this sample document to the % appdata% MicrosoftWordSTARTUP folder, with % appdata% being the folder containing Microsoft startup files. In this case, C: UserszainulAppDataRoaming :

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 31

Restarting Word, you'll see two new add - ins: Create Data File and Merge to Email below the Mailing menu:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 32

Next, prepare the data table for example with a table with 2 columns, on the left is the recipient's email address, on the right is the full path to the corresponding attachments, then save in the same folder with the merge email store with the name: MergeAttachmentsData . This is a required step, because if you save the file to any other name, the add - in will not work:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 33

Return to the text and divide it into 2 separate files:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 34

A new text window will appear, press the Merge to Email button, and OK:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 35

Set the appropriate title for the email, click OK and Outook will send your email with the attachments specified in the data file:

Improved email performance with the Microsoft Word Mail Merge feature Picture 36

These are some of the basic steps to exploit, use and manage the Mail Merge feature of the Microsoft Word editing program, along with the add - in external support. Good luck!