Batch Letter Options

The Batch Letter Options form displays several settings that control batch printing. You can use this form to manage your batch letter processing. Settings give you control over letters to include in this batch. Select a date range, operator ID, or set other options in advance.

Batch Letter Options form

A few examples of how you can manage complex scenarios with Batch Letter Options:

Assign letter printing to a specific Operator ID and control the types of letters you print in a particular batch. This lets you use different types of paper or letterhead for certain types of letters or different letter series. This works very well for printing checks.
Sort your letters by Postal Code. This lets easily prepare your mailings as you run your batch -- ready to deliver to the Post Office.

Batch Letters may also be scheduled using Collect!'s Scheduler.

Process

Select either DEBTORS or CLIENTS from this pick list. If you select DEBTORS, Collect! will process all debtor letters that fit the criteria you select in the Batch Letter Options. If you select CLIENTS, your client letters will be processed using the criteria you choose.

This pick list is visible only when the Client Management option is enabled in Collect! Features. Otherwise, Collect! simply processes your Debtor letter batch.

Prompt When There's A Choice

Switch this ON with a dot in the radio button if you want Collect! to prompt you whether or not to print the particular letter. You will be prompted if Collect! encounters a Closed account. You will be prompted if Collect! finds a bad address about to be printed. Please refer to Help topic, Address Not OK for details.

Set Options In Advance

Switch this ON with a dot in the radio button to set your own options for printing this batch. You can automate the batch to run without interruption. This frees you to perform other tasks, rather than minding any prompts that may occur. Set up your batch process using the additional options provided.

If this is switched OFF, Collect! will prompt you whenever a decision is to be made regarding printing to closed accounts, or printing to a address not OK.

Sort By Postal Code

Switch this ON with a check mark to sort your letters by Postal Code as they are printed. Letters must have valid Postal Codes.

Using Collect!'s special Barcode commands, you can deliver to the Post Office, a sorted mailing in Postal Code order, complete with POSTNET barcodes.

Print Mailing Labels

Switch this ON with a check mark to print mailing labels. Collect! will prepossess all contacts for debtors in this batch. Labels are printed and then letters are printed.

Print To Cosigners

This switch applies only to the Letter Service module. If you switch it ON with a check mark, letters for Letter Service will be printed to Cosigners.

You can restrict printing to Cosigners if you only want to include records with "Class" set to "Cosigner." Please refer to Help topic, Report and Printer Setup for details.

Print To Closed Accounts

Switch this ON with a check mark to automatically print to Closed accounts without stopping to prompt you to do so.

Print To Unverified Addresses

This switch is used with the Letter Service module when you want to request an NCOA check on account addresses. Switch this ON to force Collect! to print a letter to a "bad" address, which means the 'Address OK' switch is OFF in the Debtor form.

Be sure to switch ON 'NCOA check' in the Report Options for your Letter Service letter templates when you want to Print To Unverified Addresses.

When printing to any option other than Letter Service, this switch has no effect. Collect! will warn you when you are trying to print to a "bad" address. Then it will pass over the account and write to the Application Log. To see which records were skipped in your letter batch and any explanations, select System from the top menu bar, then select Diagnostics, Application Log. You can select "Report" to view only report events.

Print Summary On Last Page

Select this with a check mark to print the letter batch summary to the printer as the last page of your batch printing. This option outputs to the printer the same information that you see in the summary screen when your letter batch has completed. Any letters skipped in the batch are logged to Collect!'s Application Log.

Start Date

Select the small calendar icon to pop up a calendar. Select a start date for contacts to include in this batch. This is the Due Date of the letter contact.

End Date

Select the small calendar icon to pop up a calendar. Select an end date for contacts to include in this batch. This is the Due Date of the letter contact.

Max Letters

Enter a maximum number of letters to print in this batch. Collect! will end the batch when this number of letters has printed. You can mark the contacts as Done to finish the printing process. Print any remaining outstanding letters in a new batch, if needed.

Leave this field blank to print all scheduled letters within the selected Date Range.

Operator ID

This option allows you great flexibility in managing your letter batches. You can set up batch letter operators and assign letter contacts to them. For instance, a Letter 1 operator, LT1. Then put special paper in your printer and print all the LT1 letter contacts in one single batch.

If you leave this field blank, Collect! will process any Letter contacts in progress for the selected date range.

Select the down arrow next to this field to pop up the list of Operators in the system. Select a specific operator whose letter contacts you want to include in this batch.

Help

Press this button to access help on the Batch Letter Options form.

Cancel

Press this to ignore any changes you may have made and return you to the previous form.

Print

Press this to continue with your Batch Letter printing. You will be prompted to choose a report output destination.