Letter Templates

Letter templates provide standardized format and content for correspondence to customers. Letter templates can include references to paragraph templates and data inserts for extracting work item data to personalize letters. See Paragraph Selection Rules and Data Inserts.

If you are planning to categorize your paragraph templates and use paragraph selection rules, you must define paragraph types to complete the definition of a paragraph template.

You can create a letter template that performs the following actions:

• Enters standard non-variable letter text
• Enters variable letter text
• Inserts any number of paragraph templates, either standard, conditional, or both
• Retrieves information from the work item or from the system using data inserts

XTRAC adds all correspondence menu commands to Microsoft Word so that you can create and maintain letter templates.

When XTRAC generates a letter for a work item, XTRAC creates an event in the history of the work item. An operator can open the letter from the History tab or from the Correspondence tab on the Work Item window.

XTRAC also lets you use special data insert codes that insert data from a work item into correspondence items.

You must define correspondence types before you can complete a letter template.

Note: Ticklers are no longer supported and are included only for backwards compatibility.

IMPORTANT: XTRAC lets you paste large objects into a letter template. For example, image files or Excel spreadsheets. The maximum size of a letter template is 10 MB. The larger the template is, the longer it takes for XTRAC to display it.

Differences Between Letters and Internal Messages

Letters and internal messages differ in the following ways:

Filters

You can use filters to define a subset of templates that operators can view within a correspondence type. Filters help operators easily locate a specific correspondence template when creating internal messages or customer correspondence. Operators use the XTRAC Work Manager Template Summary window to filter templates.

An operator selects a correspondence type and then selects the template filters: node, item type, subtype, and template group. The operator can then view and select the templates that are associated with the selected filters.

Enclosures

Enclosures are copies of previously generated correspondence that you can associate with a letter template. XTRAC prints any enclosures at the same time it prints the specified letter. For example, if your company has not received an answer from a customer regarding a previous letter, you can design a letter template that includes a copy of the first letter as a reminder.

A letter can have a maximum of 10 enclosures.

When XTRAC receives a request to print correspondence (automatically using a correspondence generation rule, through a tickler request, or manually by operator request) it prints the latest correspondence that matches the letter template. XTRAC does not print enclosures of enclosures.

When XTRAC generates a letter that prints an enclosure, an LTRENC event displays in the work item history. However, XTRAC does not store another copy of the enclosure with the letter that was generated. When an operator views a letter from the history or from the XTRAC Work Manager Correspondence, they can print the enclosure but cannot view it.

Sample Letter Template

Using a combination of special data insert codes, standard and conditional paragraph templates, and variable and non-variable letter text, XTRAC lets you customize customer letters automatically.

For example

XTRAC generates the following letter from the template:

Creating a Letter Template

Note: To define a letter template, you need the Create, Update, and Letter Template security functions as part of the security group that is associated with your entitlement set.

A work item can involve more than one individual. You can send a unique letter to each individual using one letter template or multiple letter templates.

To define a letter template

1. In Feature Explorer, click Correspondence.
2. Click Letter Templates.
3. In the Letter Template Summary window, click New.
4. In the Letter Template Detail window, in the Name field, enter a name for the letter template (up to 30 characters).

Do not use an asterisk as part of the template's name.

5. In the Correspondence Type drop-down list box, select the correspondence type to associate this letter template to.
6. In the Description field, enter a description for the template (up to 60 characters).
7. In the Memo field, enter the memo text that you want to display in the History and Correspondence tabs on the Work Item window when the operator generates correspondence.
8. (Optional) In the Update Status To drop-down list box, select that status that the work item is updated to after the operator submits or approves the correspondence.
9. (Optional) In the Requires Approval drop-down list box, select whether the letter requires approval.
10. (Optional) If you don't want the correspondence printed, check the Non-Printing Template check box.

You can select filters for the letter template with Steps 11-14. If you do not select any filters, all templates are listed for the operator to choose from.

11. (Optional) In the Template Group drop-down list box, enter a name for a new template group (up to 30 characters) or select an existing template group.
12. In the Node drop-down list box, select the node you want to use.
13. In the Item Type drop-down list box, select the item type.
14. In the Subtype drop-down list box, select the subtype.

You can add enclosures to your template with Steps 15-16.

15. (Optional) To add enclosures to this letter template, click the Enclosures tab, and then click Add.

The Select Enclosures window lists all of the letter templates that are defined within your organization.

16. Select one or more letter templates to designate as enclosures, and then click OK.

The Letter Template Detail window lists your selected enclosures on the Enclosures tab.

Note: If you want to print more than one copy of an enclosure, you can add the same letter template multiple times to the letter template. then, latest copy of the letter in the work item’s work history for the selected letter template prints as many times as you enclosed the letter template.

You can remove an enclosure by selecting it in the Enclosures tab and clicking Remove.

17. Click Edit Template.

Microsoft Word opens and XTRAC prompts you to save the template.

18. Click Yes to save the template.
19. Enter the text for the letter.

The text can include data inserts, paragraph templates, and variable or non-variable text.

20. In MS Word, click XTRAC > Save Template.
21. On the successfully saved window, click OK.
22. (Optional) In the Letter Template Detail window, in the Change Request ID field, enter the ID for the change request (up to 30 characters).
23. (Optional) In the Memo field, enter the reason for creating the letter template (up to 60 characters).
24. Click Save.

XTRAC saves the letter template and lists it in the Letter Template Summary window.

Selecting the Paper Tray for Printing

You can use Microsoft Word to determine which paper tray to use when operators print letters. For example, you might have company letterhead in one tray and plain paper in another.

Note: If the operator prints correspondence manually, XTRAC uses the designated default tray. If you want to use generation rules that automatically print correspondence, specify a paper tray rather than selecting the default tray.

To select the paper tray for printing

1. In the main toolbar, select Tools > Options.
2. Click the Print tab.
3. In the Default Tray drop-down list box, select the paper trays that you want the operators to use.

You can also click File > Page Setup, click the Paper tab, and then select the paper trays from the Paper Source menus.

Letters to Multiple Individuals

You can send customized letters to multiple individuals by either creating each letter on a separate page in one template or by creating individual letters that use a correspondence generation rule.

Creating One Template for Multiple Individuals

Note: XTRAC prints only one copy of any enclosure for a single letter. To print an enclosure for each individual, you must define a letter template for each person.

To create one letter template for multiple individuals

1. Create a letter template or open an existing letter template.

See Creating a Letter Template.Correspondence Basics

2. From Microsoft Word, copy the text of the letter.
3. Click CTRL+END to move to the end of the letter.
4. Click CTRL+ENTER to enter a page break.
5. Position the cursor after the page break, and then paste the copied text.
6. Edit the data inserts to extract the work item information for the individual.

For example:

7. If you used a paragraph template to include the information for an individual, update the paragraph template.
8. Repeat Steps 2 through 7 to include a copy of the letter for each individual.
9. In Word, click XTRAC > Save Template.

XTRAC displays a message that the template was successfully saved.

10. Click OK.
11. In the Letter Template Detail window, click Save.

The letter template is listed in the Letter Template Summary window.

Creating Multiple Templates for Multiple Individuals

To create multiple templates for multiple individuals

1. In Feature Explorer, click Correspondence.
2. Click Letter Templates.
3. In the Letter Templates Summary window, select the letter template that you want to generate copies of, and then click Copy.
4. In the Letter Template Detail window, in the Name field, change the name of the letter template.
5. Click Edit Template.
6. In Microsoft Word, edit the data inserts to reference the first individual.

For example, change the data insert of ||D.address1|| to ||D.address1->BANK||

7. Click XTRAC > Save Template.

XTRAC displays a message that the template was successfully saved.

8. Click OK.
9. In the Letter Template Detail window, click Save.

XTRAC saves the new letter template and lists it in the Letter Template Summary window.

10. For each person that you want to send a copy of the letter to, repeat Steps 2-9.
11. Create or modify a correspondence generation rule to generate each of the letter templates that you create.

Define the same conditions in each generation rule. You can simply change the letter template to be generated in each case.

For details, see Correspondence Generation Rules.

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