Performing a mail merge in Microsoft® Word® involves the following basic steps:
- Create a data source with information about each recipient, such as names and addresses.
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Create a main document. This document contains both any static text you want for all recipients and placeholders representing the data in the data source.
For example, the document might include a placeholder such as <<MailingAdrFormatted>>, which represents a contact’s mailing address.
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Run the merge. Microsoft® Word® creates a new document based on the main document and replaces the placeholders with values from the data source.
For example, the field <<MailingAdrFormatted>> would be replaced with the actual mailing address for each contact in the data source.
You can also do a mail merge using InterAction® contacts from Microsoft® Word®. See Using InterAction Contacts in a Mail Merge.
For more about the mechanics of a mail merge, see Microsoft® Word® Help.
The Web Client provides a shortcut for this process. You can use the Web Client to automatically create the data source based on any list of contacts. Web Client then opens a main document based on a template and runs the merge.
InterAction includes some templates out of the box; your organization may customize these templates or create additional templates. Those that are provided include:
- Envelopes - Size 10
- Envelopes - Size 10 with Return Address
- Labels - 5160 - Address
- Letter
- Service List
You can also create your own document to use as the merge main document.
Requirements for Using Web Client Mail Merge
Doing a mail merge from the Web Client requires that some aspects of the process (e.g., the Web Client and Microsoft® Word®) be installed on the client machine while others are on the Application Server machine. See the requirements in the Version Compatibility Matrix and instructions on the Support web site for Mail Merge upgrades.