technology tools for streamlining administrative...

Technology Tools for Streamlining Administrative Processes

Session presented at NCAIE State Conference, March 13, 2009.

Presented by Amy Mabery, Coordinator of UNCW International Student Services.

2 Technology Tools for Streamlining Administrative Processes

Technology Tools for Streamlining Administrative Processes 3

ContentsWebsite – “I’m only going to say this once!” ................................................................................... 4

Newsletter – Once a Month, Reusable Year After Year ................................................................... 4

Skimmer Friendly Plain Text E-newsletters ......................................................................... 4

Skimmer Friendly HTML E-newsletter ................................................................................ 5

General Tips for Creating Your Own HTML Newsletter.......................................... 5

Choosing Your Software ............................................................................ 6

Modifying a Free HTML Newsletter Template .......................................... 6

Step 1. Prepare your graphics .................................................................. 6

Step 2. Add your graphic logo .................................................................. 6

Step 3. Enter the dimensions of your graphics ........................................ 6

Step 4: Add anchors (bookmarks) for each section ................................. 7

Step 5: Link opening preview to article anchors ...................................... 7

Special Consideration When Designing an HTML Newsletter .................. 7

Step 6: Sending your HTML e-newsletter ................................................ 7

Repetitive E-mails – Save as Outlook Signatures ............................................................................. 8

Mail Merge for E-mails, Letters, Labels ........................................................................................... 8

Step 1: Start mail merge - choose document type ............................................................ 8

Step 2: Select recipients - connect to your data source .................................................... 9

Step 3: Insert merge fields ................................................................................................. 9

Step 4: Edit recipient list .................................................................................................... 9

Step 5: Finish & merge ....................................................................................................... 9

At your fingertips – Putting your favorites on the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) ............................. 10

Step 1: Locate the files you want on your QAT ................................................................ 10

Step 2: Record the macros ............................................................................................... 10

Macro Troubleshooting ....................................................................................... 10

Step 4: Adding your custom macros to the QAT .............................................................. 11

Survey Tool for Online “Applications” ........................................................................................... 12


This handout provides an introductory explanation of low cost electronic tools available to help of-fices cope with repetitive administrative tasks. The information provided covers instructional web sites, electronic newsletters, Outlook signature for repetitive e-mails, mail merge to create labels, letters and more, and finally, using an online survey tool to collect data from students.

Website – “I’m only going to say this once!”

A simple solution for making important information available to a wide audience is to post the material on your Website. Once the material is on the web, you can easily refer others to the information without

having to re-type it in an e-mail. Also, if you refer people to the Web-site, and keep the Website current, you make it easier for your audi-ence to access up to date information.

Advantages of web over print: Material posted on a Website is more difficult to lose and/or ‘throw away.’ Imagine you’ve just picked up a dozen papers from a recent workshop. Where are those papers within two weeks? If you’re like me, they get lost or make their way to a recycle bin. But if the information is on a webpage, you can look up the information when you need it.

Newsletter – Once a Month, Reusable Year After Year

Sometimes you actually need to send out information heavy e-mails. There is probably a pattern to the information you send (for instance, my office sends out travel signature reminders before Fall & Spring break). Start saving those e-mails and compile them into monthly or quarterly newsletters. With a few modifications, you can re-use the newsletters year after year.

Skimmer Friendly Plain Text E-newslettersTell the truth, you don’t read e-mails word for word, and neither will your readers. Don’t fight it! Design your e-mail newsletters for people who skim. Here are some skimmer friendly tips.

1. Have an opening preview - one line or bulleted list

2. Have a bold header for each content section

3. Keep content sections short

Fig. A: Instructions Website

Fig. B: Skimmer Friendly plain-text newsletter


Skimmer Friendly HTML E-newsletterA newsletter does not have to be plain text. Many of your constituents can receive HTML e-mails. If you chose an HTML e-newsletter format, you still need to make sure your e-mail is skim-mer friendly. Here are some skimmer friendly tips for HTML newsletters.

1. Graphic Logo: What’s the benefit of an HTML newsletter if you don’t have at least 1 graphic?

2. Link for Website version: If they can’t read the HTML, make it easy for them to find the web version.

3. Have an opening preview: just like the plain text newsletter. If you will have multiple content sections then make your preview a bulleted list.

4. Bold header for each content section

5. Keep content sections short:

6. Read more… link to online handouts/web pages when appropriate

General Tips for Creating Your Own HTML NewsletterWith the right tools, you can easily create your own HTML e-newsletter. WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) software is often used to refer to HTML editing software. In this type of software, instead of writing code, the user works with the content in a view that feels very similar to the final output. While the user types, the software creates the HTML behind the scenes.

Fig. C: Skimmer Friendly HTML E-Newsletter

Fig. D: Layout view. The user types and inserts pictures in a way that looks similar to the final output.

Fig. E: Source view. The software writes the code while the user types.


Choosing Your SoftwareThere is a wide range of HTML editing software available. Here is an overview of three popular options.

FrontPage – Is a Microsoft’s WYSIWYG. It feels very similar to using MS Word. If your campus relies heavily on Microsoft products, it is likely that you can get it installed on your computer for free.

Free/Open-Source Software – There are plenty of free WYSIWYGs out there that really are FREE and no more cumbersome than FrontPage. Figures D & E are from a free soft-ware called Kompozer.

Dreamweaver – Ah, the WYSIWYG of choice for web designers. This isn’t a wimpy word processer that creates HTML content, but a powerful, easy to use HTML editor. The ease of use comes with a price, roughly $400.

Modifying a Free HTML Newsletter TemplateThe following example demonstrates how to modify the free HTML newsletter template “Generic –Single column” downloaded from www.campaignmonitor.com/templates.

Step 1. Prepare your graphicsIf you are using an HTML newsletter, you will also need to post your newsletter on the web. It is best if your web version and e-mail version both refer to graphics that are stored in a web folder (rather than graphics stored on your personal computer). To prepare your graphics, upload them to a web folder.

Step 2. Add your graphic logoHighlight the default logo, then chose “Insert” --> “Im-age”. Browse to the image or enter the web address of the image in your web folder.

Step 3. Enter the dimensions of your graphicsWhen inserting your images, make sure the page records the correct size of your graphic. In the image properties, if necessary, type in the correct dimensions for your im-age. If the dimensions are incorrect, your graphic will be stretched (or shrunk) to fit the space.

Fig. F: Make sure the image path starts with http

Fig. G: Select custom size and enter the dimensions of your logo.


Step 4: Add anchors (bookmarks) for each sectionThe preview of an HTML newsletter often contains links to each content section. The first step in creat-ing those links is to give each content section (or article) its own anchor (If you are using FrontPage, they

are called Bookmarks instead of Anchors). The anchor creates a placeholder that a link can reference.

To insert the anchor, place the curser in front of the first article title. In Fig. H, the cursor is placed just before the A of the text “Article 1.” With the cursor in the right position, go to Insert Anchor. Give the anchor a descriptive name, but do not use spaces. Save the anchor. Once the anchor is saved, you should see a graphical representation of the anchor pre-ceding the content title. Repeat for the remaining content sections.

Step 5: Link opening preview to article anchorsNow that each article has been assigned an anchor, you can create links that direct the reader from the preview straight to the article. To create the link, highlight the bulleted preview line that describes ar-ticle 1. Go to Insert, Link. Select your named anchor as your link.

Special Consideration When Designing an HTML NewsletterIt is important to keep in mind that an HTML newsletter will be read by an e-mail account and won’t be read the same way a webpage would be read in a browser. Important things to remember when design-ing an HTML newsletter are:

1. Use old-fashioned HTML tables to control the layout of your newsletter

2. Do not rely on style-sheets to format your fonts.

3. Always make your newsletter available on the web. Include a link to the web version inside the newsletter.

Step 6: Sending your HTML e-newsletterSending an HTML e-newsletter from your regular e-mail account can be tricky. HTML newsletter sub-scription services such as ConstantContact and MailChimp can be used to manage your e-mail list, send your newsletter, and minimize the chance of your newsletter being labelled as spam. However, if you are primarily sending your newsletter to people within your organization and if most of those users use Outlook, it is likely that all of your users will receive your e-mail if you send it using Outlook.

To send your HTML newsletter using Outlook, first, copy your newsletter. In the layout view of the HTML editor, select all, then copy. Open a new Outlook message, then paste your newsletter in the body of the Outlook e-mail. Your HTML newsletter is now ready to send to your distribution list.

Fig. H: Inserting an anchor for the content section.


Repetitive E-mails – Save as Outlook Signatures

In many offices, you find yourself sending the same individual e-mail over and over. If you use Outlook, you can save the repetitive e-mail as a ‘signature’ so that you can easily find the text when you need to send it again.

To begin, copy the repetitive e-mail. In the Outlook message ribbon, from the Include frame, click signature. To create a new signature, select “Signature” from the bottom of the list. In the signature & Stationary window, click the button for “New” (to create a new signature). Enter a descriptive name for your new signature/e-mail. Paste your e-mail in the message box & click OK to save.

To send a message using the saved ‘signature,’ from the include frame select Signature and choose the appropriate signature. Insert the name of your re-cipient and send the e-mail.

Mail Merge for E-mails, Letters, Labels

There are times when you need to create similar e-mails (or letters, or labels) but each item needs to be personalized with information specific to the recipient. Individualized documents can be created quickly using Word 2007’s mail merge.

To fully utilize Mail Merge, you will need to connect your document to your data source. The data source is usually information stored in an Excel workbook or Access table.

Step 1: Start mail merge - choose document typeTo begin creating a mail merge you need to choose the type of document you want to create. In Word 2007, in Mailing ribbon, Start Mail Merge group, select ‘Start Mail Merge.’ Choose the type of document you want to create. Three commonly used choices are E-mails, letters, and labels.

Fig. I: Creating a new Outlook signature

Fig. J: Select ‘Start Mail Merge’ from the Mailing ribbon.


Step 2: Select recipients - connect to your data sourceFrom the Start Mail Merge group, select ‘Select Recipient’ and choose ‘Use Existing List’. Browse to the Excel worksheet or Access database that contains your data.

Step 3: Insert merge fieldsIt is important that your data source has labeled head-ing rows (such as FirstName, LastName, StudentID). You will use your labeled headings to set up your docu-ment.

Place your curser where you would like your first merge field to appear (for example, put the cursor where you want to insert FirstName). Go to the Write & Insert Fields group and select ‘Insert Merge Fields.’ From the list, choose the field you want to insert.

Continue typing and arranging your document as you would a normal e-mail, letter, or label. Insert the merge fields as necessary.

Update Labels: From the Write & Insert Fields group, clicking ‘Update Labels’ updates all the labels on your paper to look just like the first one. Make sure you update your labels after each change.

Preview Results: From the Preview Results group, clicing ‘Preview Results’ will switch from Merge Fields (ex. FirstName) to the actual value (ex. Jane).

Step 4: Edit recipient list

To select the recipients of your letter or label, from the Start Mail Merge group select ‘Edit Recipient List.’ From the list of names, check or un-check the names you want included in your mail merge.

Step 5: Finish & mergeTo finish your mail merge, select Finish & Merge from the Finish group of the Mailing ribbon. Choose either Edit, Print, or send e-mail.

Send E-Mail Messages: Use this option to send the mail merge e-mails through Outlook. A copy of each sent e-mail will be saved in your Outlook sent e-mail messages folder. To use this option, you must have a valid e-mail address listed in your data source for each recipient.

Edit Individual Document: This option is particularly useful when printing a partial page of labels. For example, I may create 10 labels at a time while using an Avery label template that has 50 labels per sheet. In order to use all of the remaining labels on the

Fig. K: Inserting Merge Fields in your document.

Fig. L: Select the mail merge recipients.


sheet, I will select ‘Edit Individual Document.’ Word creates a new document with the labels starting at the top left of the page. In the new document, I will highlight the filled labels, cut, and paste them inside the cells that correspond to unused labels on the label template. To see the gridlines of the individual labels, from the Layout ribbon, from the Table group select ‘View Gridlines.’

At your fingertips – Putting your favorites on the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT)

Now that you’ve set up mail merge e-mails, letters and labels, you may find that you rely on them often and would like a quick way to find your favorite documents when you need them. Word 2007 allows you to easily customize the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) so that you can have your favorites at your fingertips.

To add your favorite documents to the Quick Access Tool bar, you will need to record the macros that open the documents, then add the macro to the QAT.

Step 1: Locate the files you want on your QATIf you want to open other specific documents from your Quick Access Tool, make sure you can locate these files now. For instance, do you want to quickly open your university logo mailing label? Browse to find the label now, just to make sure you know where it is.

Step 2: Record the macrosNow you are ready to record the macros. While a macro is recording, Word is remembering all of the ac-tions you are taking. Later, you can run the macro (or click a button that runs a macro), and Word will do all of the steps recorded in the macro.

To begin, Click the “View” Tab. In the Macros Group, scroll down to “Record Macro.”

In the Record Macro window, give the Macro a descrip-tive Name, but DO NOT INCLUDE spaces! Click OK. Notice that the mouse cursor looks like a tape cassette. This indicates that Word is recording your actions.

Go to the Office button at the top left of the screen, select Open. Browse to find the document you want, click OK. Once the new document is open, go to View Tab, Macro Group, Macros, Stop Recording.

Make sure the macro records the entire document path: To make sure the macro records the exact lo-cation of your favorites, start in your desktop folder when browsing to find your document. For instance, if the Open folder automatically opens to Office/Labels.doc, you may have an incomplete document path and may have trouble running the macro later. If you start from the desktop, hopefully Word will record

Fig. M: Example of a favorite mail merge document added to MS Word’s QAT

Fig. N: Naming a new macro and starting to record.


the entire document path, such as //Network Drive/International Programs/Office/Labels.doc.

Macro TroubleshootingBefore you add your new macro to the QAT, you need to test that it works. With a blank document open, go to the View Tab, Macro Group, Macros, View Macro. Highlight your new macro then click Run. The macro should open your favorite document.

If you realize you made a mistake while recording a Macro (or think you made a mistake because the Macro doesn’t work) you can delete the troubled macro and record it again. If you are in the middle of recording a macro that you want to scrap, first stop recording the macro. To stop recording, go to View Tab, Macro Group, Macros, Stop Recording.

Now find the broken Macro and delete it. Go to View Tab, Macro Group, View Macros. Highlight the troubled macro, then click delete. Click OK. Now you can start recording the Macro again.

Step 4: Adding your custom macros to the QATTo begin adding your macros to the Quick Access Toolbar, click the down arrow that is to the right of the QAT. Select “More Commands.”

In the Word Options pop-up window, in the left hand “Choose Commands From” drop down box, select Macros.

Highlight the Macro you want added, then click the Add button with right pointing arrows.

Since the default macro name and icon are ugly (U-G-L-Y), modify the name and icon. Highlight the ugly macro name/icon. Click modify.

Fig. P: Select the macro you want added to the QAT.

Fig. O: Select Macro from the ‘Choose Commands From’ drop down box.


In the new Modify button window, select whatever icon you would like. In the Display name field, type in an easy to understand name. Use whatever capitalization you would like, and spaces are allowed.

Now, as you scroll your mouse over the custom macros you added to the QAT, the name pops up to remind you what the button does.

Survey Tool for Online “Applications”

By using an online survey tool, like SurveyMonkey.com, you can easily create an interactive online form. Try a SurveyMonkey survey demo form created for this session. This demo was created using the free SurveyMonkey account. The free version limits the number of questions and responses your survey can contain. The professional SurveyMonkey account does not limit your number of questions, allows you to embed your own graphics, and to require a user to login.

Chris Musick and the One Person Office (OPO) Member Interest Group within NAFSA have used Survey-Monkey to create a study abroad application. They are sharing their corroboratively designed materials at no cost. However, the user will need to purchase the professional SurveyMonkey subscription which costs roughly $250/year.

Here is an excerpt from Chris Musick regarding the OPO tools:

Here is a link to the study abroad registration

The Registration System is an example of what the students would see when they “ap-ply” for one of your programs. The collected data would be exported to an Excel spread sheet and mail merged to different forms being developed by OPO members. Forms include third party application forms.

All of this is being developed as “open source” and is given “as is” to you for free. You must sign up for the professional edition of Survey Monkey at the non-profit rate of $240. The registration system is encrypted and backed up daily. Only you are able to see your students’ data.

You may contact Chris Musick and the OPO team if you would like to use their application materials.

SurveyMonkey is not the only online survey tool available. Check with your University’s IT department to see if you are able to create SharePoint surveys (which would be free, but have fewer options than SurveyMonkey) or if your institution has a subscription to other survey tools like SelectSurvey (not free, but very robust).

Fig. Q: Modify the name and icon of your custom macro.

technology tools for streamlining administrative...

Documents