Training the untrained to handle TY letters through RE

Sandra BradfordJennings MHA

We want to transtion the TY letters to our Receptionist. She has no training at all on RE. If I did some pre-set up for her, what do you think is the minimum training she would need to be able to run TY letters? (in RE or as an export). 


Sondra Bradford-Jennings, MHA

Development Director

Community Partners in Action

JoAnn Strommen

That's hard to say.  Is she running based on batch entered today?  Needing to query to find records needing a TY? 


Obviously needs to know how to get to RE mail, edit an existing document, select records.  But what happens if a letter is missing saluation, runs with no address?  Will she need to know how to create letter?  That's definitely more involved.


My 2 cents...

Christine Robertson

Sondra Bradford-Jennings, MHA:

We want to transtion the TY letters to our Receptionist. She has no training at all on RE. If I did some pre-set up for her, what do you think is the minimum training she would need to be able to run TY letters? (in RE or as an export). 


Sondra Bradford-Jennings, MHA

Development Director

Community Partners in Action

I think it depends on what you actually want her to do.  If you just want her to run the thank you letters from RE Mail, then, if you have everything set up completely, I would think you could train her in well under an hour.  All she would need to be able to do is open, RE, open Mail, enter the dates (or the query) for the letters to be run, click Merge, save the letters to where you need them, mark the letters as acknowledged and create the envelopes.  If you create a step by step document outlining the process and walk her thought it the first couple of times, that would help.  I would, however, give her very restricted RE security settings since she won't have been trained on anything else and you don't want her to accidentally change something else that you don't want altered.

Sandra BradfordJennings MHA

JoAnn Strommen:

That's hard to say.  Is she running based on batch entered today?  Needing to query to find records needing a TY? 


Obviously needs to know how to get to RE mail, edit an existing document, select records.  But what happens if a letter is missing saluation, runs with no address?  Will she need to know how to create letter?  That's definitely more involved.


My 2 cents...

All good questions for me to ask myself. I didn't even know where to start thinking about it. Thanks.

Sandra BradfordJennings MHA

Christine McMinn:

Sondra Bradford-Jennings, MHA:

We want to transtion the TY letters to our Receptionist. She has no training at all on RE. If I did some pre-set up for her, what do you think is the minimum training she would need to be able to run TY letters? (in RE or as an export). 


Sondra Bradford-Jennings, MHA

Development Director

Community Partners in Action

I think it depends on what you actually want her to do.  If you just want her to run the thank you letters from RE Mail, then, if you have everything set up completely, I would think you could train her in well under an hour.  All she would need to be able to do is open, RE, open Mail, enter the dates (or the query) for the letters to be run, click Merge, save the letters to where you need them, mark the letters as acknowledged and create the envelopes.  If you create a step by step document outlining the process and walk her thought it the first couple of times, that would help.  I would, however, give her very restricted RE security settings since she won't have been trained on anything else and you don't want her to accidentally change something else that you don't want altered.

 

Your reply is extremely helpful. If she gets stuck on something outside of the norm, she can always come to me or the person who does them now. Thanks.

Karen Stuhlfeier

 I have a conditional mail merge set up in RE for my letters. I have a query attached to it that I put the batches in that need acknowledgemt. An extra step I know - I could just run the merge, but I want more control over it. With it set up that way it's easy for anyone to merge the letters. I think that the most important thing with letters that are missing information such as addressee lines is fixing the record and not just the letter. I also have the letters set up so that they can be run individually right off of the record if necessary. If there is a problem with one that was merged someone can go to the record, fix it and then run the letter off of the gift letter after unacknowledging it.

 

Jen Claudy

I would take some time next time you run ack letters to go very slowly, document your process, and then think about all the different steps involved.  With them written out, and hopefully complete since you did it while doing a real batch of letters, you should be able to see obvious places where she can help, and the potential pit-fall areas.  I assume you're fairly close in physical location, so she can ask for help when needed, or if something doesn't look right.


I did this for a while with our Admin who has no database experience.  I generated the letters from RE, put a list in Excel, and she took over from there.  She printed the letters, got them signed, scanned, and mailed, and then marked the day they were sent in the Excel spreadsheet.  Later, I'd go in and put the mail dates in RE (we have to track how long it takes for letters to mail from when the gift is entered & letter generated).  It worked pretty well, and she didn't need to touch RE at all.  Might be a place to start for you, then once that's going smoothly, transition more of the process.

Sandra BradfordJennings MHA

Jen Claudy:

I would take some time next time you run ack letters to go very slowly, document your process, and then think about all the different steps involved.  With them written out, and hopefully complete since you did it while doing a real batch of letters, you should be able to see obvious places where she can help, and the potential pit-fall areas.  I assume you're fairly close in physical location, so she can ask for help when needed, or if something doesn't look right.


I did this for a while with our Admin who has no database experience.  I generated the letters from RE, put a list in Excel, and she took over from there.  She printed the letters, got them signed, scanned, and mailed, and then marked the day they were sent in the Excel spreadsheet.  Later, I'd go in and put the mail dates in RE (we have to track how long it takes for letters to mail from when the gift is entered & letter generated).  It worked pretty well, and she didn't need to touch RE at all.  Might be a place to start for you, then once that's going smoothly, transition more of the process.

Good approach. Of course I am ready to transition them NOW away from the person who has been doing them becuase she has so much on her plate that she really does not have time to do them anymore in a timely manner. lol. But I like your approach to documenting the process. 

Sandra BradfordJennings MHA

Karen Stuhlfeier:

 I have a conditional mail merge set up in RE for my letters. I have a query attached to it that I put the batches in that need acknowledgemt. An extra step I know - I could just run the merge, but I want more control over it. With it set up that way it's easy for anyone to merge the letters. I think that the most important thing with letters that are missing information such as addressee lines is fixing the record and not just the letter. I also have the letters set up so that they can be run individually right off of the record if necessary. If there is a problem with one that was merged someone can go to the record, fix it and then run the letter off of the gift letter after unacknowledging it.

 

 

I don't think I have used a conditional merge...or I have and didn't know that was what it was called. Fortunately, our database is not overwhelming and I personally sent the database up a few years ago, so I know 99% of the Ind constituents and contacts on Org Constituents have addressee and salutation lines completed. Good info, for me to consider when it comes to an approach.

Christine Cooke 2

Sondra Bradford-Jennings, MHA:

We want to transtion the TY letters to our Receptionist. She has no training at all on RE. If I did some pre-set up for her, what do you think is the minimum training she would need to be able to run TY letters? (in RE or as an export). 


Sondra Bradford-Jennings, MHA

Development Director

Community Partners in Action

If you mean by pre-set up, that you will be setting up the Ack Letter  templates.  Then i would train her, with her doing the clicks etc. and you sitting with her, at least twice.  And would also write up a step by step script (with screenshots so you can highlight what she is supposed to click/look for) as a back up/referral.


 

Sandra BradfordJennings MHA

Yes, that would be a good approach. Thanks!


Sondra