Sending Mail Merge to Email to Multiple Recipients in the Same Mes

[Mark V]

Is there a way to send a single email message to multiple recipients
simultaneously so that all of these recipients appear in the "To:" field for
this message rather than sending the message separately to each individual?
This would be useful when send email to a group of owners for a certain
product, project or service as opposed to sending individual messages to each
or for sending a message to a specific individual and their manager or
administrative assistant.

I have tried creating a Mail Merge field consisting of several email
addresses (comma-delimited and semicolon-delimited lists of SMTP addresses or
Outlook Address Book Display Names) and selecting this field as the "To:"
field in the Merge to E-mail Message Options but it doesn't work.

Summary of results:

- Using comma-delimited SMTP email addresses results in a Check Names error
messsage which indicates that Outlook doesn't recognize the comma-delimited
SMTP email addresses and suggests replacing the commas with semicolons.

- Using semicolon-delimited SMTP email addresses results in a Check Names
error messsage which indicates that Outlook doesn't recognize the
semilcolon-delimited SMTP email addresses.

- Using semicolon-delimited Display Names from the Outlook Address Book
(Personal or Global) results in a Check Names error messsage which indicates
that Outlook doesn't recognize the semilcolon-delimited SMTP email addresses.

I am using Microsoft Office Word 2003 (11.5604.5703) and Microsoft Office
Outlook 2003 (11.5608.5703) from Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003.

Any guidance is appreciated.

Thanks, Mark V

 

[Graham Mayor]

Create a distribution list in Outlook and send your e-mail to the
distribution list.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Mark V]

Graham,

Thanks for the quick reply but this would only work for very small merges.
In the case of a very large merge where the number of recipients will vary
for each message depending on values in another data source, creating
distribution lists for each set of recipients would be an incredibly time
consuming and manual process. Looking for an automated way to send emails to
groups of individuals based on criteria from another data source (sending to
an individual and their manager or administrative assistant, sending to a
list of individuals related to a particular product, service or project,
etc.).

Any other suggestions?

Thanks, Mark V

 

[Graham Mayor]

There's bound to be a limit to the number of e-mail addresses that you can
put in a single send to box, though you'd need to check with an Outlook
group for someone who knows what that limit is.

I don't see a way of merging a number of addresses into the single field
during the merge or any simple solution to your requirements. The only
option would seem to be to merge separately to the individuals concerned.

If your contacts are all stored in Outlook, then you could sort them by
categories etc and merge from within Outlook.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Mark V]

Graham,

As I understand it, Outlook limits To, Cc and Bcc to 500 entries.

Not sure that I'm being clear regarding what I'm trying to do...

In the scenario below, I'm not going to get anywhere near the 500 entry
limit. In reality, I'm probably looking at 2-10 addresses per message but
the potential of hundreds to thousands of messages.

Examples:

- I might have a database of owners or adminstrators for a WSS site and want
to send a single message to them like "Attention WSS Site Administrators -
Your Site Being Moved". Rather than sending an individual message to each,
I'd like to send a message to the registered owners/administrators so they
are all aware that the others have received the notice.

- I might have a database of managers whose staff members are using company
PC assets and want to send a message requesting that they update asset
records. To ensure that this request gets on their radar screen I might want
send it to their administrative assistant as well (since I haven't figured
out how to specify a Cc value for Merge to E-mail).

- I might have a database of employees who are running an old version of S/W
and want to send a message requesting that they upgrade to a newer version
for security and/or support reasons. To ensure that they give this request
priority, I might want to copy their managers (since I haven't figured out
how to specify a Cc value for Merge to E-mail). Rather than creating and
sending a separate message to their managers, I'd simply like send the
message to both - so the employee sees that the manager received it and the
manager sees that it was addressed to the employee.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks, Mark V

 

[Jason Krug]

Mark, Graham-

Is there an answer to this question? I too have the same issue.

In my mailmerge, my 'To' field will have single or multiple email addresses.
eg1: (e-mail address removed)
eg2: (e-mail address removed); (e-mail address removed)

Some projects have multiple contacts, AND I want to copy the message to
myself (for records). Since Mailmerge only allows you to select 1 field for
TO:, I combined the addresses into one field.

However, Word's MailMerge puts ""s (double-quotes) around the addresses, so
the value becomes
"(e-mail address removed); (e-mail address removed)". When sending the
emails, Outlook tries to lookup the contacts in the Addressbook, and tries to
lookup this value as 1 contact, not as separate email addresses.

I am using Office 2003. I have word Office 2003 connecting to a ODBC
datasource, which is an Access 2003 Query.

Help!
--Jason

PS: I have thought about using Access to break out the distribution list,
create multiple records (each with 1 email address), but then the To: list
would not reflect the people that this message was sent to.

 

[Doug Robbins]

I believe that this could be done with a modification of the procedure in
the article "Mail Merge to E-mail with Attachments" at

http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/MailMerge/MergeWithAttachments.htm


--
Please respond to the Newsgroup for the benefit of others who may be
interested. Questions sent directly to me will only be answered on a paid
consulting basis.

Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Jason Krug]

Doug-

I read your www page and as was able to link and run the Macro. I did not
get successful results since I did not have a file static with the email
addresses.
I removed the nested while loop for multiple attachments.

In this example the datasource is a simple Word Document Table... I am using
a complex Access Query. I added your macro to the mailmerge doucment I
already created, so I do not know how an additional document-Table would fit
in to this merge. My process does not allow me to change my datasource from
the dynamic Access Query to a static Word Table document.

There are one too-many jumps here for me to get this to work, when I am not
completely familiar with Visual Basic.
1) How do we modify this to work with the existing merged Access Query? Or
does this VB script replace the mailmerge al together? I do not think I can
work with that since the form letter references many fields, not just a
constant attachment?
2) How do we reference specific Column Names rather than Column positions?
3) If this macro still interfaces with Outlook, since we see the securty
dialog, while will this allow multiple email addresses? I still see the same
error popping up?

Still looking for a solution... if not this any other sugestions?
--Jason

 

[Doug Robbins]

Hi Jason,

Use the same Access Query to create the catalog (or directory) type
mailmerge that will result in the table.

The vbscript does not replace the mailmerge altogether - in fact not at all.
You must create the catalog or directory type mailmerge and also the
formletter type mailmerge that will become the text of the email messages.
The vbscript creates those email messages by taking the text from each
Section of the document created by execting the formletter type mailmerge to
a new document.

You need to go back and read the article again very carefully - it is a bit
complex, but it does work when you understand and follow each step exactly.
There's no shortcuts.

--
Please respond to the Newsgroup for the benefit of others who may be
interested. Questions sent directly to me will only be answered on a paid
consulting basis.

Hope this helps,
Doug Robbins - Word MVP

 

[Jason Krug]

Doug-
It works (with questions below)! I used this process to sent customized
Email Bodies, where each Email Message goes to MULTIPLE email addresses (eg.
1 message goes to (e-mail address removed); (e-mail address removed);
(e-mail address removed))

EVERYONE, it works!

Here are some notes I found useful. Doug, some of the terms have changed
from the original Word 97 to Word 2002: Some of these may be useful to add
to your Instructions.

You will perform 2 Merges:
1) Distribution List: As described in Doug's attachement, create a Directory
Merge, which contains a simple table of the distribution email addresses.
Each row of the table will store the email addresses to send one message.
Merge this to a New File, and save (eg: EmailAddresses-List). (Note: this
MUST be 1 table, with multiple rows, this cannot be separate tables)
2) Actual Email MailMerge: Create your Email Message Mailmerge template with
your formatted text and inserted fields. You will want to save the template
(eg: EmailMessage-template). When complete, rather than MailMerge, you again
Merge to a New Document. You can keep it open on the screen, you do not have
to save this merged document.
3) Actual Send Emails: From the merged New Document (containing all the
bodies of emails you want to send), you will then run Doug's MACRO, which
will prompt you for the 1st file of email addresses (eg:
EmailAddresses-List). It then sends the emails. Don't worry if there are
several messages there, the macro will allign the message bodies to the email
addresses)

This MACRO avoids the direct MailMerge Issue when MS Word thinks your
multiple addresses are 1 address, and errors because it cannot find the
contact "(e-mail address removed); (e-mail address removed)" in your contact list.

NOTE: Even if you do NOT use attachements (meaning your table is only 1
column of email addresses), do NOT comment out the Attachment FOR loop! This
loop moves the MACRO through the rows of email addresses. If you do delete
it, you will be stuck in an endless loop.
NOTE: When testing, before running the MACRO, save your documents! When you
are in an endless loop, you will use the Taskmanager to END your MS Word
Process, loosing your most recent changes.

Doug, QUESTIONS:
1) When I merge my (eg: EmailAddresses-List) file, each email address is a
separate table of 1 row. If I do not merge them into one table (by deleting
the whitespace between them) I am stuck in an endless loop. Is there a way
to perform the Directory Merge and have 1 table?

2) FORMATTING: The content copy line (.Body = ActiveDocument.Content) looses
ALL formatting in the Body. Not only did I have BOLD and COLORED font, but I
had a Word table of data for the person to review. That table is lost, and
the data is just listed as text. Is there a way to PRESERVE formatting in
the body of the message? (having the formatted text as an attachment is not
an option)

Thank you,
--Jason

 

[Jason Krug]

Incase peopel did not see the questions at the end of my previous post. I am
reposting the questions:

Doug, QUESTIONS:
1) When I merge my (eg: EmailAddresses-List) file, each email address is a
separate table of 1 row. If I do not merge them into one table (by deleting
the whitespace between them) I am stuck in an endless loop. Is there a way
to perform the Directory Merge and have 1 table (removing the line return)?

2) FORMATTING: The content copy line (.Body = ActiveDocument.Content) looses
ALL formatting in the Body. Not only did I have BOLD and COLORED font, but I
had a Word table of data for the person to review. That table is lost, and
the data is just listed as text. Is there a way to PRESERVE formatting in
the body of the message? (having the formatted text as an attachment is not
an option)

--Jason

 

[Doug Robbins - Word MVP]

In answer to your first question, in the directory type mailmerge main
document (that produces your EmailAddresses-List file), make sure that
there is no more than the single (unavoidable) carriage return after the one
row table. If there are two carriage returns, each record will end up in a
separate one row table.

You might be able to do 2 by using the .HTMLBody property instead of the
..Body property, or maybe set the .BodyFormat to olFormatRichText and then
use the .Body to set the content

I haven't tried it, but maybe replacing the

.Body = ActiveDocument.Content

with

.BodyFormat = olFormatRichText
.Body = ActiveDocument.Content

may do it.

If it doesn't you might ask this question in an Outlook newsgroup.

--
Please post any further questions or followup to the newsgroups for the
benefit of others who may be interested. Unsolicited questions forwarded
directly to me will only be answered on a paid consulting basis.

Hope this helps
Doug Robbins - Word MVP