- Email: [email protected]
Programmed for success
Programmed for Success by Steve Crest
Lesson 7: Impressing the Customer
P
rogrammedfor Success is a set of progressive lessons
that teaches the metal finisher how to use Microsoft Worksfor Windows integrated software on a personal computer. The heart of each lesson is a word processor, spreadsheet, or database application that will help the metal finisher in everyday operations. INTRODUCTION
There’s no need to look homemade if the first-class look comes at the same price! Do you need to send a letter to your customers? You could send a photocopy of a form letter and hand address the envelopes. Or, you could send a personalized letter, showing the customer’s name and address on the letter. Which would be more impressive? And you don’t need to type 200 letters for 200 customers. Just type one letter and have the program insert the customer information. THE PROJECT Before you can create form letters, addressed envelopes, or address labels you first need to create a database of information. Open the database you created in Lesson 6 (see Fig. 1). Delete records numbered 9 through 15. Highlight the NAME entries for these rows using the F8 and arrow keys, then select INSERT-DELETE RECORD/FIELD-FIELD. Insert the fields named CONTACT, ADDRESS, CITY, and STATE as shown in Figure 1. The simplest way to insert a field is to switch to VIEW-LIST, then move to a cell in the field immediately to the right of the desired location for the new field. Select INSERT-RECORD/FIELD-FIELD. To name the field, move to it, then select EDIT-FIELD NAME and enter the word “CONTACT” Name the other fields ADDRESS, CITY, and STATE. Enter the CONTACT and ADDRESS information. Make sure you use upper and lower case letters in the CONTACT field. Enter the city and state data in Row 1, then copy the information to the cells below. Highlight these two cells, then continue highlighting the cells below them. Select EDIT-FILL DOWN. Highlight all the cells, then select FORMAT-FIELD WIDTH-BEST FIT Your database is now ready to be merged into a word processor document. Take a moment to save the edited database. Instead of using FILE-SAVE, use FILE-SAVE AS, and give it the name LESSON7. Now you still have LESSON6.WDB if you should need it. Switch to VIEW-FORM. Looks like a mess, doesn’t it? While you were inserting fields in LIST VIEW mode, the program had no idea where to put them in the FORM VIEW. 42
0
Copyright
Aim your mouse at GD: and click the left mouse button. The program will highlight the field name and display the word DRAG under the mouse cursor. Depress the left button again and, while holding it down, drag the field to a new location, further down on the form. Next, drag the other fields/down, placing them in the same order as LIST VIEW. Now the form has its fields in proper order, but it doesn’t look very neat. Fields are difficult to align neatly with a mouse. They can be aligned exactly with the keyboard arrow keys. Note the X and Y dimensions in the box above CONTACT Use the arrow keys to move the cursor until it highlights this field name. Note the dimensions on a piece of paper. For example, on my computer X1.25” Y1.00” is displayed. Highlight the field NAME. Select EDITPOSITION SELECTION. Use the left or right arrow key to match the X value you wrote down. Then use the up or down arrow key to position the field at an appropriate incremental spacing below the first field. For example, the first field was Y l.OO”, so this field might be Y1.25”. Continue down the page positioning the fields until you have an attractive form. Save the database again. Try creating a form letter. Leaving the database open, open a new word processor document. ‘&pe the date and the return address shown in Figure 2. These lines will be the same on each form letter. Now select INSERT-DATABASE FIELD-DATABASE and select the database you just edited. The INSERT FIELD menu pops up. Select the field NAME, the option INSERT, then the option CLOSE. The program has inserted the text and symbols ccNAME>>into your document. Press the enter key to move to the next line. Then insert the ADDRESS field. Press the enter key again. Now insert CITY, STATE, and ZIP fields on the same line. Move the cursor between the CITY and STATE fields and add a comma. Then add a few spaces between the STATE and ZIP fields. Your document should look the same as Figure 2. Now move down a few lines and write the word “Dear,” insert the field CONTACT, and add a colon. Complete the letter using the sample text shown in the figure. In the third sentence, the CONTACT name is used again. You can use the same field more than once in a form letter. Simply insert the field name here the same way you did in the salutation. The arrow symbols surrounding the field names are called chevrons. They are not the same as the arrow symbols on your keyboard. If you accidently erase one of the chevrons you must delete the rest of the field designator, then reinsert the database field name. You cannot use two arrow symbols to replace the chevron. What will your form letters look like? Select FILEElsevier Science Inc.
METAL
FINISHING
.
MARCH19%
Figure 1. Database file of customers.
PRINT PREVIEW A box you haven’t seen before, titled CHOOSE DATABASE, will pop up. Select the name of the database you edited above. When the preview document appears, instead of seeing>you will see the first entry in the NAME column of your database. If you select NEXT in preview mode, you’ll see the same document appear again, but with the next row of information from your database. Whether you select PRINT from the preview mode, or FILE-PRINT from the main menu screen, you will be asked for the name of the database again before the form letters are printed. Next you will see the familiar PRINT options screen. It is important to understand the meaning of PRINT RANGE. If you only want the first three form letters to come out, you won’t make it happen by selecting PRINT RANGE Page 1 to Page 3. If your form letter is one-page long, you’ll still get a printout for each row in the database. If your form letter were four pages or more, then you would only get the first three pages of the letter, but still for every database record. How do you print form letters to selected customers? Toggle to your database, using WINDOW-FILENAME. Select the three customers that have an X in the AS field. Highlight rows 1 and 2. Select VIEW-HIDE RECORD. Highlight rows 5, 6, and 7. Hide these records also. Now only records 3, 4, and 8 appear. Toggle back to your form letter. Select FILE-PREVIEW. Only form letters for these three records will appear. Alternately, you could have used VIEW-QUERY, setting the field to AS, the comparison to “is equal to,” and the value to X, then selecting APPLY QUERY. Or, you could have sorted the database on the FIELD AS, so that all the empty cells would be together, and easier to highlight and hide. Want to highlight the name of the company in the mailing METAL FINISHING
. MARCH
1995
address? Simply highlight the field name, including the chevrons, and click on the BOLD toolbar icon. You don’t have window envelopes? Then print individualized envelopes. Open a new word processor document. Select TOOLS-ENVELOPES AND LABELS-FIELDSDATABASE. Choose the database you used in the above example. Then select the appropriate fields for the mailing address. Next, move to the RETURN ADDRESS box and enter your address. Choose CREATE ENVELOPE. Your
March 1. 1995
Steve Crest ABC Plating Co Inc 433 E Gold Ave Silvertown CA 91773
NNAME, wADtIRES& &ITYr,> KZIPU
Dear &ONTACTr Please take a minute to complete the enclosed questionnaire Your responses will be used to help us understand how to improve service And, #CONTACTI, If there’s anything else we can do, just call Thank you
Steve Crest Quality Control Manager
Figure 2. Form letter created by the detabese to personalize correspondence. 43
word processor document now shows the information you entered, but in the correct format for envelopes. If you look at the FORMAT-PAGE SETUP-SOURCE, SIZE, AND ORIENTATION option, you will see that it has been changed to match the envelopes you selected. Make sure you enter PRINTER SETUP and select the envelopes option, if your printer driver has that option. Don’t try printing your entire database of envelopes yet. Hide all but one database record and try printing just one envelope. Your printer may not be thinking like your computer. I had to enter PAGE SETUP and switch from PORTRAIT to LANDSCAPE, and then switch the values in the WIDTH and HEIGHT boxes. In all honesty, that was the sixth combination I tried before envelopes started coming out correctly. How about labels? That’s available too. Choose TOOLSENVELOPES AND LABELS-MAILING LABELS. Create labels as you did envelopes. The program will put one database row of information on each label. If you have more database rows than labels on a page, it continues on the next sheet of labels. Make sure you try printing on inexpensive white paper before loading expensive labels. Suppose you want a sheet of return address labels. You only get one label for each database row. How do you get it to multiply itself onto the rest of the labels on the sheet? Create a database, with the three or four columns that will correspond to the rows on the label. Then enter only the first row of data. Highlight the row and use the FILL DOWN feature to duplicate the information on the number or rows that matches the number of labels on a sheet. For example, you want to create a sheet of 36 labels, each with -the following information. Your Name Your Address Your City/State/Zip Create a database, with three fields labeled LINEl, LINEZ, and LINE3. Go to VIEW-LIST Enter your name in the column named LINEl. Next enter your address in the column named LINE2. Finally, enter your city, state, and zip in the column named LINE3. Highlight row one through 36. Select EDIT-FILL DOWN. Now you have 36 records of the
Kushner Electmplaiing School “Training Electroplaters Since 1947” m
ELECTROPLATING KNOW HOW II THE COMPLETE TRAINING PROGRAM /
HOME STUDY PROGRAMS
J CUSTOM TRAINING PROGRAMS
Circle 032 on reader information card
44
Inserting database records Naming/renaming database fields Positioning database fields in form view Inserting a database field in a word processor document Chevrons Changing inserted database field bold/italic/underline/font/ size characteristics Previewing merged database/word processor documents Printing merged database/word processor documents Print Range Printing form letters for selected database records Printing envelopes Printing labels Word Art (See Making Life Easier) Borders (See Making Life Easier)
MAKING LIFE EASIER Would you like to create personalized invitations for your next monthly safety meeting or merge a database of employee names with a form letter invitation? It only takes a few minutes to design an invitation using different fonts and sizes . . . and try using the INSERT-WORD ART feature for eye-catching effects. How about taking a database list of calibrated devices and creating individual calibration reports for devices you calibrate in-house with transfer standards? Create a database with fields like DEVICE, BRAND, MODEL, SERIAL NUMBER, CALIBRATION FREQUENCY, LAST CALIBRATION DATE, and NEXT CALIBRATION DATE. Then create a word processor form, merge these tieIds, and add some lines for test data and a signature. When that’s all done, create a database report showing devices by nextcalibration-date, and you’ll have your recall program. Does the Shipping/Receiving department spend a lot of time writing address labels, often to the same address? Create a database of frequently used addresses. Then create a simple word processor document with the return address and merged address fields. Finally, try using FORMATBORDER to put a box around the label. After it prints out, use the border as a cutting guide, or a tear guide for a ruler. If you use clear packing tape, you can seal the box and attach the label at the same time.
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. And in a plating shop, a graph is worth much more than a picture. Learn how easy it is to make pie charts of expenses, timetable graphs of revenue, and X-Y plots of bath concentrations soon in Metal Finishing.
/ ON-SITE TRAINING PROGRAMS
t
WHAT YOU LEARNED
LOOKING AHEAD
J GROUP TRAINING PROGRAMS
732M Glencoe Court, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (4OtQ749-8652. FAX (408) 749-0176
same information. Create your word processor label document, selecting LINEl, LINE2, and LINE3. Make LINE1 bold. Try printing your newly created database of labels.
I
Steve Crest is a chemical engineer with Stabile Plating Company MF Inc. in Covina, Calif. METAL FINISHING . MARCH 1995
Lesson 7: Impressing the Customer
P
rogrammedfor Success is a set of progressive lessons
that teaches the metal finisher how to use Microsoft Worksfor Windows integrated software on a personal computer. The heart of each lesson is a word processor, spreadsheet, or database application that will help the metal finisher in everyday operations. INTRODUCTION
There’s no need to look homemade if the first-class look comes at the same price! Do you need to send a letter to your customers? You could send a photocopy of a form letter and hand address the envelopes. Or, you could send a personalized letter, showing the customer’s name and address on the letter. Which would be more impressive? And you don’t need to type 200 letters for 200 customers. Just type one letter and have the program insert the customer information. THE PROJECT Before you can create form letters, addressed envelopes, or address labels you first need to create a database of information. Open the database you created in Lesson 6 (see Fig. 1). Delete records numbered 9 through 15. Highlight the NAME entries for these rows using the F8 and arrow keys, then select INSERT-DELETE RECORD/FIELD-FIELD. Insert the fields named CONTACT, ADDRESS, CITY, and STATE as shown in Figure 1. The simplest way to insert a field is to switch to VIEW-LIST, then move to a cell in the field immediately to the right of the desired location for the new field. Select INSERT-RECORD/FIELD-FIELD. To name the field, move to it, then select EDIT-FIELD NAME and enter the word “CONTACT” Name the other fields ADDRESS, CITY, and STATE. Enter the CONTACT and ADDRESS information. Make sure you use upper and lower case letters in the CONTACT field. Enter the city and state data in Row 1, then copy the information to the cells below. Highlight these two cells, then continue highlighting the cells below them. Select EDIT-FILL DOWN. Highlight all the cells, then select FORMAT-FIELD WIDTH-BEST FIT Your database is now ready to be merged into a word processor document. Take a moment to save the edited database. Instead of using FILE-SAVE, use FILE-SAVE AS, and give it the name LESSON7. Now you still have LESSON6.WDB if you should need it. Switch to VIEW-FORM. Looks like a mess, doesn’t it? While you were inserting fields in LIST VIEW mode, the program had no idea where to put them in the FORM VIEW. 42
0
Copyright
Aim your mouse at GD: and click the left mouse button. The program will highlight the field name and display the word DRAG under the mouse cursor. Depress the left button again and, while holding it down, drag the field to a new location, further down on the form. Next, drag the other fields/down, placing them in the same order as LIST VIEW. Now the form has its fields in proper order, but it doesn’t look very neat. Fields are difficult to align neatly with a mouse. They can be aligned exactly with the keyboard arrow keys. Note the X and Y dimensions in the box above CONTACT Use the arrow keys to move the cursor until it highlights this field name. Note the dimensions on a piece of paper. For example, on my computer X1.25” Y1.00” is displayed. Highlight the field NAME. Select EDITPOSITION SELECTION. Use the left or right arrow key to match the X value you wrote down. Then use the up or down arrow key to position the field at an appropriate incremental spacing below the first field. For example, the first field was Y l.OO”, so this field might be Y1.25”. Continue down the page positioning the fields until you have an attractive form. Save the database again. Try creating a form letter. Leaving the database open, open a new word processor document. ‘&pe the date and the return address shown in Figure 2. These lines will be the same on each form letter. Now select INSERT-DATABASE FIELD-DATABASE and select the database you just edited. The INSERT FIELD menu pops up. Select the field NAME, the option INSERT, then the option CLOSE. The program has inserted the text and symbols ccNAME>>into your document. Press the enter key to move to the next line. Then insert the ADDRESS field. Press the enter key again. Now insert CITY, STATE, and ZIP fields on the same line. Move the cursor between the CITY and STATE fields and add a comma. Then add a few spaces between the STATE and ZIP fields. Your document should look the same as Figure 2. Now move down a few lines and write the word “Dear,” insert the field CONTACT, and add a colon. Complete the letter using the sample text shown in the figure. In the third sentence, the CONTACT name is used again. You can use the same field more than once in a form letter. Simply insert the field name here the same way you did in the salutation. The arrow symbols surrounding the field names are called chevrons. They are not the same as the arrow symbols on your keyboard. If you accidently erase one of the chevrons you must delete the rest of the field designator, then reinsert the database field name. You cannot use two arrow symbols to replace the chevron. What will your form letters look like? Select FILEElsevier Science Inc.
METAL
FINISHING
.
MARCH19%
Figure 1. Database file of customers.
PRINT PREVIEW A box you haven’t seen before, titled CHOOSE DATABASE, will pop up. Select the name of the database you edited above. When the preview document appears, instead of seeing
. MARCH
1995
address? Simply highlight the field name, including the chevrons, and click on the BOLD toolbar icon. You don’t have window envelopes? Then print individualized envelopes. Open a new word processor document. Select TOOLS-ENVELOPES AND LABELS-FIELDSDATABASE. Choose the database you used in the above example. Then select the appropriate fields for the mailing address. Next, move to the RETURN ADDRESS box and enter your address. Choose CREATE ENVELOPE. Your
March 1. 1995
Steve Crest ABC Plating Co Inc 433 E Gold Ave Silvertown CA 91773
NNAME, wADtIRES& &ITYr,
Dear &ONTACTr Please take a minute to complete the enclosed questionnaire Your responses will be used to help us understand how to improve service And, #CONTACTI, If there’s anything else we can do, just call Thank you
Steve Crest Quality Control Manager
Figure 2. Form letter created by the detabese to personalize correspondence. 43
word processor document now shows the information you entered, but in the correct format for envelopes. If you look at the FORMAT-PAGE SETUP-SOURCE, SIZE, AND ORIENTATION option, you will see that it has been changed to match the envelopes you selected. Make sure you enter PRINTER SETUP and select the envelopes option, if your printer driver has that option. Don’t try printing your entire database of envelopes yet. Hide all but one database record and try printing just one envelope. Your printer may not be thinking like your computer. I had to enter PAGE SETUP and switch from PORTRAIT to LANDSCAPE, and then switch the values in the WIDTH and HEIGHT boxes. In all honesty, that was the sixth combination I tried before envelopes started coming out correctly. How about labels? That’s available too. Choose TOOLSENVELOPES AND LABELS-MAILING LABELS. Create labels as you did envelopes. The program will put one database row of information on each label. If you have more database rows than labels on a page, it continues on the next sheet of labels. Make sure you try printing on inexpensive white paper before loading expensive labels. Suppose you want a sheet of return address labels. You only get one label for each database row. How do you get it to multiply itself onto the rest of the labels on the sheet? Create a database, with the three or four columns that will correspond to the rows on the label. Then enter only the first row of data. Highlight the row and use the FILL DOWN feature to duplicate the information on the number or rows that matches the number of labels on a sheet. For example, you want to create a sheet of 36 labels, each with -the following information. Your Name Your Address Your City/State/Zip Create a database, with three fields labeled LINEl, LINEZ, and LINE3. Go to VIEW-LIST Enter your name in the column named LINEl. Next enter your address in the column named LINE2. Finally, enter your city, state, and zip in the column named LINE3. Highlight row one through 36. Select EDIT-FILL DOWN. Now you have 36 records of the
Kushner Electmplaiing School “Training Electroplaters Since 1947” m
ELECTROPLATING KNOW HOW II THE COMPLETE TRAINING PROGRAM /
HOME STUDY PROGRAMS
J CUSTOM TRAINING PROGRAMS
Circle 032 on reader information card
44
Inserting database records Naming/renaming database fields Positioning database fields in form view Inserting a database field in a word processor document Chevrons Changing inserted database field bold/italic/underline/font/ size characteristics Previewing merged database/word processor documents Printing merged database/word processor documents Print Range Printing form letters for selected database records Printing envelopes Printing labels Word Art (See Making Life Easier) Borders (See Making Life Easier)
MAKING LIFE EASIER Would you like to create personalized invitations for your next monthly safety meeting or merge a database of employee names with a form letter invitation? It only takes a few minutes to design an invitation using different fonts and sizes . . . and try using the INSERT-WORD ART feature for eye-catching effects. How about taking a database list of calibrated devices and creating individual calibration reports for devices you calibrate in-house with transfer standards? Create a database with fields like DEVICE, BRAND, MODEL, SERIAL NUMBER, CALIBRATION FREQUENCY, LAST CALIBRATION DATE, and NEXT CALIBRATION DATE. Then create a word processor form, merge these tieIds, and add some lines for test data and a signature. When that’s all done, create a database report showing devices by nextcalibration-date, and you’ll have your recall program. Does the Shipping/Receiving department spend a lot of time writing address labels, often to the same address? Create a database of frequently used addresses. Then create a simple word processor document with the return address and merged address fields. Finally, try using FORMATBORDER to put a box around the label. After it prints out, use the border as a cutting guide, or a tear guide for a ruler. If you use clear packing tape, you can seal the box and attach the label at the same time.
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. And in a plating shop, a graph is worth much more than a picture. Learn how easy it is to make pie charts of expenses, timetable graphs of revenue, and X-Y plots of bath concentrations soon in Metal Finishing.
/ ON-SITE TRAINING PROGRAMS
t
WHAT YOU LEARNED
LOOKING AHEAD
J GROUP TRAINING PROGRAMS
732M Glencoe Court, Sunnyvale, CA 94087 (4OtQ749-8652. FAX (408) 749-0176
same information. Create your word processor label document, selecting LINEl, LINE2, and LINE3. Make LINE1 bold. Try printing your newly created database of labels.
I
Steve Crest is a chemical engineer with Stabile Plating Company MF Inc. in Covina, Calif. METAL FINISHING . MARCH 1995