How mail merge template works in Zoho CRM

How mail merge template works in Zoho CRM

Overview

During CRM integration, when a user selects or opens any record and initiates a merge operation, a temporary document is generated from the chosen template to facilitate the merge operation with the record's data. It's crucial to note that this document is intended for one-time use and will become invalid upon reloading or reopening after closure. This is the expected behavior.

If the user wants to update the original template with the changes made in the temporary document during Mail Merge operation, he/she need to click on 'Update Template' option as shown below.  Once this is done, the latest alterations will be saved and reflected in subsequent merge operations when the template is reopened.



Furthermore, users have the flexibility to access and modify the merge template any time through the Templates page in CRM. This can be done by navigating to Setup > Customization > Templates > Mail Merge. For additional information, please refer to this link.

Notes
This is applicable for Zoho People and Zoho Recruit integrations as well.

Rich text fields from Zoho CRM

Zoho Writer Mail Merge supports rich text fields from Zoho CRM. When a CRM field contains formatted content such as bold text, italics, lists, tables, or links, Writer retrieves the full formatted content and inserts it into the merged document while preserving the original formatting.
 
This ensures that formatted CRM fields such as Description or Notes appear correctly in the final merged output.

Steps

How to use PDF document as template for merge with CRM data

This is possible in two ways:

1. Adding a PDF as a merge template in Zoho Writer

Create a merge template with PDF and add Zoho CRM as a data source to insert CRM fields in your template

2. Adding a PDF as a merge template in Zoho CRM

Import your PDF document as a merge template in CRM and add the required fields from your desired module

Merge logs and reports

  1. Writer gives logs of the mail merge on job basis only. You can track the status and details of the mail merge associated to all the records, meaning on record basis from CRM. Learn more.

  2. When documents are merged and sent for sign collection with CRM data, status of signatures on the document can also be obtained.
1. How to create and manage mail merge templates in CRM?