Sending documents for signature using Mail Merge in Zoho Writer | Zoho Sign

Mail Merge template

Zoho Writer's mail merge feature lets you create documents where the content is personalized for each recipient before sending them out for signature. Unlike standard templates where only the signer details change, mail merge templates let you insert entire sections of content that can vary in length per recipient. The inserted content automatically takes on the formatting of the surrounding document, so the final output looks like it was individually drafted. When combined with Zoho Sign, each personalized document is sent for signature directly, all from one workflow.

Benefits of this integration
  1. Automatic content alignment: When dynamic content is inserted into a merge field, it inherits the formatting and alignment of the surrounding document automatically, ensuring every merged field and signer field in the document looks consistent regardless of the content length or type.
  2. End-to-end workflow in one place: Merging and sending for signature both happen within Zoho Sign, without switching between applications.

Prerequisites

  1. Active Zoho Sign subscription
  2. Sufficient Zoho Writer credits (1 Writer credit will be consumed per mail merge per document)
Info
An HR executive needs to send a personalized offer letter to a selected candidate, pre-filled with the candidate's name, job title, compensation, and joining date, and signed by both the candidate and the HR manager.
The HR executive creates the offer letter template in Zoho Writer with the relevant merge fields and signer fields in place. When it's time to send, the executive picks this template in Zoho Sign and fills in the candidate's details. In the document viewer page, the merge field values and signer fields auto-align together, producing a professionally formatted letter without the need to reposition anything manually.

How to create a mail merge template

  1. From your Zoho Writer dashboard, navigate to +Create New > Merge Template > Design From Scratch.
  2. Click Fields > Merge Fields from the menu bar.
  3. Click Create Fields.
  4. Place the cursor at the desired place on the document and select the created merge field.

Adding Signer Fields to Your Mail Merge Template

Once you have added your merge fields to the template, you can add the signer fields (signature, initials, date, and other document fields) directly from within Zoho Writer as well. When merge field values are filled in, the content in the document will vary in length. If signer fields are not part of the template, the sender has to manually look through the generated document, find the right spot, and place each signer field themselves. With longer or varying content, this becomes tedious and error-prone.

For example, a full name field next to a merge field will always sit exactly where it should, even if the merge field content runs into multiple lines or paragraphs. The sender doesn't need to search for space or reposition anything.

To add signer fields to your mail merge template, follow the steps below.
  1. Click Fields > Signer Fields from the menu bar.
  2. Place the cursor at the desired place on the document and select the required signer field.

How to use mail merge template to collect signatures

  1. Click Send for Signature.
  2. On the envelope creation page, click the Add documents dropdown and select Mail merge template.
  3. Select the mail merge template.
  4. Enter the values for the merge field data.
  5. Click Continue.
  6. Add the recipient details and click Continue. You'll be redirected to the document viewer window.
  7. Drag and drop the any additional document fields and click Send.