You can store template documents in Senta and then generate personalised versions of them to send to your clients, adding all the relevant information from the client's record, such as their company name and address.
This can be really useful when it comes to sending out things like letters of engagement.
Create your DOCX file
First, you'll need to create your document externally to Senta. If you want the document to automatically populate with client information, you'll need to put placeholders into the document.
Here are some commonly used placeholders:
Client name
{client.title}
Primary contact information
{client.contact1.firstname} {client.contact1.lastname}
Secondary/other contact information
{client.contact2.firstname} {client.contact3.lastname}
You can choose which contact is referred to by changing the number in "contact1" e.g. for the 2nd contact for a client, using "contact2".
Address
{client.address1} {client.address2} {client.town} {client.district} {client.postcode}
Address where each field is on a new line
{client.address1 | newline}{client.address2 | newline}{client.district | newline}{client.town | newline}{client.postcode | newline}
Please note that if you have added in extra address fields or if you are based outside of the UK, then the field references for address information may be different. You can always check by going to Settings > Forms > Client details > Address tab, where you can find the field references for the address fields.
Services
To pull a list of services offered to a client into an email, use the following formatting:
{each(service)}
- {service.title}
{service.sales | optional}
{service.terms | optional}
{if(service.fees.setup)} £{service.fees.setup} setup {endif}
{if(service.fees.monthly)} £{service.fees.monthly} each month {endif}
{if(service.fees.annual)} £{service.fees.annual} per year {endif}
{endeach}
{service.sales} refers to the "sales description" field on any service
{service.terms} refers to the "sales terms" field on any service
{services.fees.setup} refers to the "setup fee" field on any service
{services.fees.monthly} refers to the "monthly fee" field on any service
{services.fees.annual} refers to the "annual fee" field on any service
These fields can be switched on via Settings > General Settings > Extras.
| optional} means that Senta will only try to pull through data from a field if it contains any information
The "each" function means that Senta will look for the title, sales and terms for each service, and pull that information into an email. For example, if I select VAT and payroll for a client, the following information will display:
- Payroll service
Example sales description
Examples sales terms
£100 setup
£500 each month
- VAT service
Example sales description
Example sales terms
£100 setup
£2000 per year
You can find a full guide to formatting your placeholders here.
Ensure you save your document in 'docx' format, as this is the only type of document compatible with Senta's letter generator.
Upload your document to Senta
Upload your template document to your practice documents. Go to Documents > Practice documents > Upload to do this.
Generate a letter
Once the document is saved, navigate to the client you want to generate the document for. Click on More actions > Generate letter.
Tick to select your template document from your practice documents and click OK.
Senta will automatically create the document and add it to the client's Documents tab.
From here you can download a copy, or set the visibility for your client to view the document from the portal.
Please note that currently Senta does not currently support previews of DOCX files.
Letter Generator placeholder error warning
If you have used placeholders in your template document that are not populated or do not exist, Senta will let you know which ones are causing the problem:
If you are shown this dialogue, you may need to review the placeholders you are using in your template document and also ensure that the relevant fields are populated on the client.