Primer: How do I send a form letter?

Do you ever send a form letter to a customer? That is what LocatorPlus use to refer to as a Customer Document.

TO SEND A FORM LETTER - FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

1. Find the customer. - From the menu bar select "FILE / CUSTOMER" (or press the F1 function key)



2. Search for and then select the customer.



3. From the "Customer Information" window look for a button on the bottom of the window that is labeled "Form letter". Press that button.



4. A list of form letters will be displayed in the left column.



5. Select a letter from the list at the left. On the right hand side of the window a description of the document will be displayed. There also may be one or two questions for you to answer on the right hand side of the window if the letter requires special information. There will be a label indicating what information if any will be displayed.



6. You may press any of the following delivery buttons: Preview / Print / Fax / Email. Obviously a fax number (and a properly installed WinFax program) is required to fax. Also, an email address (and properly installed MS Outlook) is required to email. Please note that a document will look different when emailed than it will with other delivery. Before emailing a document, make sure that it was designed to be email compatible (and it is recommended that you put Email in the description)

NOTE: There are many different ways to setup a form letter….continue reading for a description of how to setup a form letter so that you know what options are possible.

HOW DO I SET UP A NEW FORM LETTER?:

So you want to add a new form letter. What is it's purpose? What is it going to say? Is it going to be emailed or printed? Although it's easy to add a new form letter, it will take a little work to make sure it looks good and works the way you want.

In order to create a new form letter (or change an existing letter), follow these steps:

1. From the menu bar select "TOOLS / SETUP INFORMATION"



2. Select the "FORM LETTERS" button.



3. If you want to add a new form letter, press the "NEW" button at the bottom of the window. If you want to edit an existing form letter select the letter from the list in the left column.



4. Enter a "Document code:" and a "Short Description:". The code determines the order the form letters are listed when displayed. The short description describes the form letter so you know which letter you are sending.



5. Enter the other fields. For help in answering these questions, see the section at the end of this document labeled "How Do I Answer these Questions".



6. Press the "UPDATE" button to save the new or modified form letter.

HOW DO I ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?:

Output format:

This applies only to printed letters. If this form letter will only be emailed, then this question can be answered in anyway.

The formats must be setup by Koala Software with a FoxPro Report Generator feature. There are some general formats supplied with LocPlus MLS. These include the following:

LETT01		Form letter format with the contact, company name, and address at the top with the MESSAGE field acting as the body of the letter. The current sales rep is the signatory of the letter. WILL TRANSLATE REASONABLY WELL IF YOU WANT TO USE SAME LETTER BOTH PRINTED AND WITH EMAIL.
LETT02		Same as LETT01 but without the company telephone and fax. WILL TRANSLATE REASONABLY WELL IF YOU WANT TO USE SAME LETTER BOTH PRINTED AND WITH EMAIL.
ENVELOPE		An envelope format with contact, company name, and address. The MESSAGE field is not necessary and is not used.
CUSTOMER_CODE1		Report showing information for customer. The MESSAGE fields is not necessary and is not used.
CUSTOMER_DETAIL1		**** Not active **** Report showing information for customer. The MESSAGE field is not necessary and is not used.
CUSTOMER_LIST_PLAIN1		Report showing information for customer. The MESSAGE fields are not necessary and are not used.

Message:

For an email, whatever you enter in the message field will be put in the email message.

For a printed document, the message field will be printed in the spot determined by the "OUTPUT FORMAT" field.

You may use substitution fields to have the message customized to the specific customer.

Some of the special substitution fields that you may use in this field are:

~~RPMESSAGE1~~: Answer to the first "ASK FOR" question.
~~RPMESSAGE2~~: Answer to the second "ASK FOR" question.

There are many other substitution labels. These are listed in the document "What is a substitution field".

Ask for:

There are two "Ask for:" questions. You may have LocPlus MLS ask for up to two pieces of information when printing a form letter. If you want to ask for one or two pieces of information to include in your form letter, enter the questions, otherwise leave blank.

Create event after sending:

If this box is checked, then an event will be created after the document is selected to print (or emailed).

Save message:

If this box is checked, then the message will be saved with the event. (NOTE: The "Create event after sending:" box must be checked too!)

Include all contacts:

(DOES NOT WORK - This box is not yet implemented) If this box is checked, then the form letter will be sent to all of the companies contacts rather than just the current contact.