Letter Assistant Word 2003 Setting up a New Letter DOC QUICK DOC: Letter Assistant Word 2003 The type of letter(s) you will be sending will depend on where you go in Encompass. Our example will be if you wanted to send Sec 8 tenant letter without appointment times. Always create your letter document where you are going to merge it from. Open Encompass Tenants (Applicant for applicant letters) Use filter button drop down arrow to bring up the tenant you will send letters to. Remember to also pick your initials under Staff and the button to the right that says Project, so you get just your people. Click Find button. Page 1 of 10
Highlight all the tenants you will be sending letters to then a box will open with more choices. Page 2 of 10
Click on the Section 8 Letters tab. (for public housing, click on PH Letters) Click on Recert Letters Page 3 of 10
You will get the Open Document window. Page 4 of 10
Click the New button A small Documents Properties window will open. Type in the name of the letter you will be sending. Click Ok This puts the name of your letter in the Open Documents box. Highlight the name of the letter and click Open. Page 5 of 10
You will get the following Microsoft Office Word message box, click YES. Page 6 of 10
This will take you to a blank word document with a lot of zeros for the document name (template). Paste a copy of the letter you want to set up for Letter Assistant. This means you will need to open your letter in Word first, highlight the entire contents of the letter and then copy/paste it to the blank page you are working in for Letter Assist. You know you are back in the right document name if the document name looks like 0000014. Once you have your letter open in Word, make sure your Mail Merge tool bar is up. To do this, go to top of screen and click on View -> Toolbars->Mail Merge. This is where you will begin inserting the fields you want. Highlight the area in your letter where you will be inserting the fields. Move your cursor over the icons on the Mail Merge toolbar until you reach Insert Merge Fields and then click on it. In the Insert Merge box, highlight the field you want to insert and click the Insert button at the bottom of the window. You will have to close this window and open it for each field. Remember to add a space between fields; such as <<first name>> << last name>> once the fields have been inserted into your document. You can check your work by clicking on the View Merged Data icon on the Mail Merge tool bar - <<ABC>>. At this point you can edit the letter as you would any letter in WORD. You can also check the look of your letter; one by one by click on the Arrows on the Mail Merge tool bar. If you click on the Arrow, you can view all your letters before you print them. When done inserting and viewing, Exit out of document it will ask you if you want to save and you click YES. Page 7 of 10
This takes you back to the Document Properties window. Click OK and this puts your letter into the Open Documents window. Page 8 of 10
To keep the template of the letter you just set up, highlight your letter in the Open Documents window and click Modify. This take you back to the Document Properties window. Page 9 of 10
Check the small box on left that says Open As Template. When this is checked, your letter assistant document is protected from being changed and/or the merge fields being lost. If you need to change them, uncheck the box, make your changes and then recheck the box. Close box when done. To print your letters: Highlight the tenants names you want to send the letter to. In the new box click on Section 8 Letters, then Recert Letters. Yes you want to generate letters. You now have the Open Document window. Click on the name of your letter. Yes to the Microsoft alert window and you are back in your letter. Scroll across the Mail Merge tool bar until you reach Merge to Printer. Click on it and begin the printing. Page 10 of 10