Mail Merges

Mailmerges allow you to provide a template message, which can be sent to multiple contacts, with contact specific information inserted into the message.

Mailmerges can be sent by email or sent to a PDF for you to print and send by post.

Most bulk communications can be sent as posts.

We only need to use mailmerge when the communication must be personalised, with content specific to the recipient included. The vast majority of such communications are for chasing monies, where you want to produce emails or letters to owners who owe you money stating which units they own, and the total amount outstanding. You may also want to include a statement with all of their outstanding charges.

When charges are raised, they are initially sent and chased through the billing page but the mailmerge functionality allows more precise targetting and follow up, particularly for owners who did not respond to the first couple of reminders.

This kind of chasing is the core reason the mailmerge system exists, however it can also be used for sending any class of message, personally to owners and residents, if there is some reason that you want the message sent without publishing the information in the regular posts channel.

When creating a mailmerge, you can save it as a template for future use, we strongly recommend that you create templates for standard first, second and third warning letters for example. See managing communications templates

List View

table_rows Show Columns

Column	Type	Description
Unique Name (subject for the mail)	text	A unique name for this mail merge — also used as the subject line when it is sent by email.
Status	text	Where this mail merge is in its lifecycle: New while you are still setting it up, then Submitted, Working and Complete once you send it.
Target	picklist	Who to send to — owners (whether or not they live in the unit) or residents (whether or not they own it).
Include Statement?	boolean	When enabled, a statement of the recipient's outstanding charges is attached alongside the mail merge content.
Last Payment Before	date	Restrict recipients to those who have not made a payment since this date.
Filter with arrears	boolean	When enabled, only owners with arrears above the minimum figure below are included.
Destination	text	Whether this mail merge sends by email, or produces a PDF batch for you to print and post.
Created	dateTime	The date and time this mail merge was created.
Last Updated	dateTime	The date and time this mail merge was last updated.

Detail View

table_rows Show Fields

Field	Type	Description
Unique Name (subject for the mail)	text	A unique name for this mail merge — also used as the subject line when it is sent by email.
Content	richText	The message to send, personalised for each recipient using placeholders such as [fullName], [address] and [outstanding] — see Communication Templates for the full list.
Preview	icon	Shows the merged content against a sample record — the first unit and owner matching your current filters — so you can check it looks right before sending anything.
Test	icon	Sends a copy of the merged content to your own inbox for a final check. Nothing is sent to owners or residents, and nothing is recorded against this mail merge.
Preview Data	icon	Shows exactly who this mail merge will go to before you commit to sending. Re-run it after changing a filter to see the effect immediately.
Send Mails	icon	Runs this mail merge for real, sending an email to every matching owner or resident.
Generate PDF	icon	Runs this mail merge for real, producing a PDF batch of letters for every matching owner or resident to print and post.
Target	picklist	Who to send to — owners (whether or not they live in the unit) or residents (whether or not they own it).
Include Statement?	boolean	When enabled, a statement of the recipient's outstanding charges is attached alongside the mail merge content.
Frequency	picklist	Restrict recipients to those on a specific payment frequency, such as monthly or annual — useful for excluding owners already on a payment plan.
Last Payment Before	date	Restrict recipients to those who have not made a payment since this date.
Filter with arrears	boolean	When enabled, only owners with arrears above the minimum figure below are included.
Minimum Arrears	number	The minimum arrears an owner must have to be included, once Filter with Arrears is enabled.
Created	dateTime	The date and time this mail merge was created.
Last Updated	dateTime	The date and time this mail merge was last updated.

Creating a mail merge

Before sending the merge, you can and should preview the message to be sent, which will show you what the first message looks like, with the first matching contacts details inserted into the message. You should also preview the list of contacts to whom the message will be sent. If you want to see precisely what the message looks like, and if your GDPR agreements permit it, send a test message to yourself for review. Full instructions to create the merge are below.

format_list_numberedSteps(23)

1. 1Click [Mail Merge] on the main menu
2. 2Click on the new button
3. 3Enter a name for the mail merge - this will be used as the mail subject
4. 4Choose to target owners
5. 5Choose to send by email
6. 6Choose the Arrears Reminder template, which already has every available placeholder filled in
7. 7Click Preview to check the merged content looks right before sending anything
8. 8The preview opens showing the merged mail exactly as it would be sent - nothing is sent or saved
9. 9Click Data to see who this mail merge would go to before sending anything
10. 10With no filters set, this mail goes to every owner
11. 11Click the Filter with Arrears checkbox to only include owners in arrears
12. 12Enter a minimum arrears figure - only owners owing more than this are included
13. 13Click Data again to see the effect of the arrears filter
14. 14Now the notices only go to owners who owe more than €3000
15. 15Choose Monthly to target owners on a regular payment plan
16. 16Filter for owners who have not made a payment since this date
17. 17Click Data to check whether anyone on a payment plan has fallen behind
18. 18Good news - nobody on a payment plan has fallen behind
19. 19Change the frequency filter back to Annually, to exclude owners on a payment plan
20. 20Clear the last-payment-before filter, which only made sense for the payment-plan check
21. 21Click Data one more time before sending
22. 22So this mail will go to these owners who have arrears greater than €3000 and are not on a payment plan
23. 23Click Save to create the mail merge

Generating a Mail Merge

When you generate a mail merge, it actually produces the custom messages. If destinaton is email, and the user has a valid email address, then the message is sent immediately. An attachment will be created, to include a personalised copy of the message for any recipient without a valid email address, so you can send by post. The system records all contacts to whom the message has been sent, and provides a copy of the actual message sent linked to the contact history. If the destination is PDF, all details are just put into an attache PDF file for posting.

format_list_numberedSteps(11)

1. 1Click [Mail Merge] on the main menu
2. 2Open the mail merge to send it for real
3. 3Click Send Mails to run the merge for real
4. 4Click [Mail Merge] on the main menu
5. 5Reopen the mail merge to see the completed result
6. 6The status has moved to Complete now the send has finished
7. 7The number of emails sent is shown, and is clickable to see exactly who received mail
8. 8Open the first contact who received a mail
9. 9Click the Mailings tab - the merge mail is logged here too, just like a direct Send Email
10. 10Click the subject to view a copy of the mail exactly as it was sent by this merge
11. 11The mail sent by this merge is recorded against the contact, just like a direct Send Email