Mail Merge

Mail merge is a software function describing the production of multiple (and potentially large numbers of) documents from a single template form and a structured data source. This technique is used to create personalised letters and pre-addressed envelopes or mailing labels for mass mailings from a database mailing list of names and addresses.

You use mail merge when you want to create a set of documents that are essentially the same but where each document contains unique elements. For example, in a letter that announces a new product, your company logo and the text about the product will be the same in each letter, and the address and greeting line will be different in each letter.

Using mail merge, you can create:

• A set of labels or envelopes The return address is the same on all the labels or envelopes, but the destination address is unique on each one.
• A set of form letters, e-mail messages, or faxes The basic content is the same in all the letters, messages, or faxes, but each contains information that is specific to the individual recipient, such as name, address, or some other piece of personal data.
• A set of numbered coupons The coupons are identical except that each contains a unique number.

Creating each letter, message, fax, label, envelope, or coupon individually would take hours. That's where mail merge comes in. Using mail merge, all you have to do is create one document that contains the information that is the same in each letter, label etc. Then you just add some placeholders for the information that varies, such as the recipient's name and address.

If you are creating a mail merge this will inevitably be because you are dealing with a large volume of records. To avoid harming your brand image it is esential that you do not send out duplicate mail. By processing your data through dedupeIT (up to 50,000 records) or matchIT (theoretically unlimited record numbers) you will ensure that you remove duplication before you mail merge. In addition matchIT can reformat and recase data and create salutations, which is invaluable for mail merge.

The other advantage of using helpIT products is that you have access to a wide range of customisable output formats so that your data will be compatible with your mail merge software of choice.

You can try dedupeIT on your own data and assess the power of fuzzy and phonetic matching first hand, simply click here.

If your database has more than 50,000 records or you want to match across multiple files, then we recommend you trial matchIT by simply clicking here.