‍What is a Mail Merge?

A mail merge is a Microsoft Office tool that can be used to create documents by sending an email with multiple text fields of information that automatically insert into the document. 

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The information in the fields should be separated by commas, and the fields themselves are enclosed in quotation marks. The fields can be as long as needed, but there are recommended lengths for each field.

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The best way to perform an outlook mail merge is by creating a template or document for this type of project and splitting the document into sections. 

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For example, if you are creating a letter and the first paragraph contains items that you want to appear in every subsequent paragraph, then place those items in the first section. This will be the same for each section of your document. If you have more than one section, then separate sections with commas.

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The outlook mail merge tool can also be used to create reports. The report will automatically format itself as well as insert new information into the document. For example, if you need to update a client 's address and phone numbers, the outlook mail merge tool can be used to insert that information into your document. This will make for a more professional-looking letter or report. 

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Importance of outlook mail merge:-

Mail Merge is very important because it makes your documents look better. It lets you do an action or task and it will automatically take care of all the details.

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You can create a smart mail merge that only inserts information into your document if the other boxes are already filled out correctly.

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The mail merge tool uses a template, which includes the variety of things you want to put in your document.

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This means you do not have to type out each piece of information again and again. You can just fill in the blanks with whatever information you want.

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How to Perform A Outlook Mail Merge

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If you use Outlook on your computer, you may have already learned how to create mail merges. Mail merges are useful for sending large amounts of information to a small group of people in one email. 

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However, if you want to send a merge to a larger group, like your whole school, or a company that has hundreds of employees, then you will need Microsoft Exchange. 

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Steps involved in Performing a Mail Merge in Outlook

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Step#1:- Create a Mail Merge and place it in the folder where you want to send the information.

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Step#2:- Click on the "Mail" tab at the top of your Outlook window.

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Step#3:- Select "New Mail Merge".

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 Step#4:- If there is more than one merge that you would like to create, then select the desired merge from the drop down menu. Use these steps to perform a mail merge under MS Outlook.

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The Best Option for Mail Merges

A mail merge means that an email will be sent out to multiple recipients with a personalized message. 

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The Best Option for Mail Merges are:-

1. Sending the email to all contacts in one go. This is the most efficient option, but it takes time for your client to receive the email as it will have to be sent to all of their email accounts at once.

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2.Sending the email to a group of contacts with a series of "To:" addresses and then clicking on each contact's name in turn and sending that message individually. This option is also very efficient and quick, however unless you are sending an individualized message, there is a risk of them not seeing the message.

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3.Sending a mass email to multiple contacts with a blank 'From' section. This is the fastest option, but it is likely that your recipients will not see the message as they will be unable to open it without this information.

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4.Email Management ToolsA very efficient way of managing large amounts of email is by using an email management tool such as Webonaut or Boxtrapper . These tools allow you to set up a database that you can use to store your email. With these tools, you can have a huge database of emails that will send out emails automatically and do everything for you.

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5.Email TemplatesAnother way of managing mass emails is through the use of templates! You can create an email template that holds all your information including 'From', 'Subject', and body in one place, and then simply change any information needed to send it out! You can even set up different templates for different occasions (birthday, Christmas, etc) and use them all at once!

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Limitations of Performing Mail Merges in Outlook

Mail Merges are a great way to combine several documents into a single document. However, you have to be careful when attempting this process because there is a limit to the amount of information that can be merged. 

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This limitation may be due to the size of the document, the number of merge fields, or the number of merge rules in use. This article offers some tips on how to avoid these limitations and create more successful mail merges.

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Several limitation of outlook mail merge are given below:-

1. Outlook does not allow the mail merge to join two documents with the same name.

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2. The mail merge will generate a single document with two separate pages.

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3. If some of the fields in one document have very low priority, then these fields will not be merged in the output.

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4. The mail merge cannot join two different documents with the same name unless you use it on each document separately (this works).

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5. The mail merge can only participate in one task at a time in Outlook 2003 and earlier versions of Outlook.

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6. The best way to get around this limitation is to use the Add Attachment command instead.

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7. The mail merge will not print the output to a file or save it to a folder within Outlook unless you use it on each document separately (this works).

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8. If you have used more than one input file for your mail merge, then if you want to delete all of them, do so from the program menu (right click on an empty space in the message list) and then re-run the mail merge (this is a limitation of Outlook , not the mail merge).

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9. When you re-run the mail merge, it will also ask you to select a folder and then ask to save the output (to a file or to a folder).

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Tips on how to creating more successful mail merges

There are few tips on creating a successful mail merge:-

Tip #1:- Always proofread -your merge before you even begin to send it out to the recipients! You will catch important errors that none of the recipients will ever notice. So be sure to read through the entire merge and pay attention to all the details.

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Tip #2:-If you have a form that is supposed to go to your t-pals, but they only want their own name on their own form, make another version of your merge that goes only to those specific names. It is no fun paying for something and then having to tell the person they don't get anything!

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Tip #3:-Sometimes you may want a merge that goes only to certain names. So if one of your t-pals has a baby, you can make a special merge that is limited only to their names. This is great when sending gifts or just making sure you know where all of your t-pals are!

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Tip #4:-Try to give everyone at least one copy of their own form, if possible , to ensure that they will get their own information in the merge.

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Tip #5:-Try to make sure that your forms are completed only by the people you have decided should receive them. 

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Tip #6:-Don't make it too complicated. A good rule of thumb is to have 10-15 names on each form, with no more than 5 t-pals per person. 

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Tip #7:-Make sure you send merge requests when everyone has responded so you don't get a ton of duplicate merge requests.

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Conclusion

There are many ways to do a mail merge in Outlook. The most common way is to create columns based on different mailing lists. To create these basic columns, you would use the "Add Column" option in the Mailings tab of the Folder Pane.

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