Microsoft Word 2007 Mail Merge Add-In Instructions

PostalMethods allows users to send letters from any workstation on the office network, directly from Microsoft® Office Word 2007 using the convenient Word Mail Merge.

Installation

You must have Administrator permissions in order to install this add-in.

1. Close all instances of Word 2007 on your computer.
2. Download the PostalMethods Add-In installer for Microsoft® Word 2007 and execute it.
   
   
   
3. Word add-ins rely on other software components to run properly. If any of the required components are not installed already, the installation process prompts to install them.
4. Click Next to continue.
   
   
   
5. Enter your PostalMethods username and password. If you are not yet registered, please create a PostalMethods account.
6. Confirm the installation by clicking Next.
7. The installation process starts. If asked to, close all open instances of Microsoft Word and click Retry. When completed, Word is launched and displays a verification message. Click on Install. The PostalMethods Add-in definitions are downloaded from the PostalMethods servers and the add-in is installed.
   
   
   
8. Click on Close to complete the installation process

Setting Up Word Mail Merge

1. Download the PostalMethods Word 2007 letter template and use it to design your letters. Using a template helps you insure that the recipient and return addresses are positioned correctly.
2. In Word 2007, go through the letters mail merge process as you usually do. Place the recipient postal address merge fields in the lower address text box.
   To learn more about mail merge, view the Online Course or read the mail merge tutorial provided by Microsoft.

Using the PostalMethods Word Mail Merge Add-in

1. Once your merged documents and ready to be sent, click on the Finish & Merge button and select the Send Letters Via PostalMethods option.
   
   
   
2. In the Send Letters via PostalMethods form:
   
   1. Verify that the correct PostalMethods username and password appear in the Credentials tab.
   2. In the Send Letters tab, choose which records to send, write a description to help you identify this batch in the PostalMethods Control Panel website and choose either Simulate Letters to simulate the batch - but not send it to the actual recipients (free of charge) or Send Live Letters to send the postal letters to their recipients.
      
      
      
   3. Your document and needed fields from your source list are uploaded to the PostalMethods servers where they are processed and deposited into the system. This process may take a few minutes.
      
      
      
3. You should be able to see your letters in the PostalMethods Control Panel Activity table.

Tips: Using The Add-in Efficiently

1. Once your document is ready and its merge fields in place, try sending a couple of test letters. To do so, click on Finish & Merge in Word and select the PostalMethdos Add-in. Then use the Select Records option to select just a few records. Click Simulate Letters and check what they look like in the PostalMethods Control Panel website.
2. When you are pleased with your letters, send your entire list using Simulate Letters. Wait awhile until they are processed and make sure they look as they should, either randomly or one by one.
3. Make sure all of them have the same number of pages (you can see the number of pages when you expend the activity line). If you find some with an extra page, maybe the merge data caused the text to flow to the next page.
4. In case some failed because the address could not be verified, find an accurate address and click Fix & Resend to make sure the address is verified.
5. Now that everything is checked, you can go back to the activity line showing your batch (where the batch statistics appear) and click Resend Live. Your letters will be processed, as if you sent them as Live letters, to be mailed out. That's it!