To access this screen, go to AutoMail and click Generate from the Letter Request Browser.
In this example we are simply going to walk you through on how to generate an IRIS standard letter for a single client. We are going to use the tax return cover letter as an example.
To generate the tax return cover letter follow the steps below:
Click Select Template to view the AutoMail - Select Template screen.
Highlight the folder IRIS word templates with header and footer. The right side of the screen will display all IRIS work templates with header and footer.
Highlight the Tax Return Cover letter and click Select.
Select Single Client.
Click the magnifying glass to display the client browser screen.
Select a client from the list.
This step pulls through any tax details for example, the accounting period end date. Select the tax year you wish to produce the tax return cover letter for.
The logging option determines how the letter is going to be logged under communication tracking to view or print at a later stage. We are going to select Log & Save. This means that we are going to create an entry in the communication log showing that the letter has been generated, and save the letter as a retrievable document to view at a later stage.
Other logging types:
Log only will create a log to indicate the letter has been generated. Any changes made to the instantiation of the letter will be lost if the letter is reprinted
Selecting None will neither log the entry on the communication log nor save any changes to the instantiation.
For the moment, we will ignore the additional options available, for example, treat multiples separately and enable custom file naming. These options are covered in more detail in our advanced tutorials and reference topics.
One option we will mention is the Prompt for values for empty tags. If we select this option then when we come to generate the letter, if the system comes across tags in the template which have no data present in them, then the system will prompt for these individual tags during the letter generation.
After selecting your preferred options, we are ready to print the letter. Click OK to print the tax return cover letter for the selected client.
If you click on the Microsoft Word template you should see a pop-up window appear asking for your reference. This is a prompt in the actual letter where you can enter your reference details corresponding to the letter/client. Type in your reference and click OK.
Once the system has finished the process of generating the letter you will see a Microsoft Word document open with details of the tax return, pulling through the information corresponding to the client selected.
At this stage you have the option to make any changes to the letter. If you minimise Microsoft Word, in the background you will see a small window open AutoMail - Merged Letters, with three options asking you to either print now, print later or cancel request. Click Print Later. This option will store the letter request in the communication log for later retrieval and printing.
In topic 5 of the beginners guide, we will show you how to search for this letter in the communication log for printing.
Other printing options:
Click Print Now to print the letter immediately and to save the log under the communication log
To abandon the letter generation, click Cancel Request. You will then return to the letter request browser screen.
We have now generated the tax return cover letter, you may want to try out our other IRIS templates!