Patent ID: 8661342

Claim:
A method for generating a mail merge document from a customer relationship management application that can integrate with a mail merge operation on a client-side word processor comprising the steps of: receiving one or more mail merge settings from a user including a record set to use in a mail merge operation including records to be included, a language selection, a mail merge type including a letter, envelope, label, brochure and email, and a data field selection including an account name, a number, a city, and an address for a template, wherein the user is enabled to select one of a blank document and an existing mail merge template; downloading the template from the customer relationship management application through one of: an existing authentication of the user and an anonymous authentication; creating a new mail merge document; adding helpful instructions to the new mail merge document to explain the mail merge document process, wherein the helpful instructions include instructions for starting a mail merge, enabling macros, and deleting a text file after completion of the mail merge to safeguard sensitive data; displaying a mail merge document user interface enabling the user to select recipients for the mail merge operation from a list, specify a type of document to be used in the mail merge operation and refine a list of selected recipients by one or more of sorting, filtering, finding duplicates, finding recipients, and validating addresses; adding the record set to the new mail merge document; and adding a link to the template that will control the mail merge operation on a client-side word processor, the template being operable to be attached to the new mail merge document and opened on the client-side word processor.