Tutorial Video

Watch the video above to see "How to Process a Similar Piece Batch Job" with the SimpleCertifiedMail.com service. For more detailed info, read the video transcript below.

Time stamps are in [Minutes:Seconds]. Length of video is 8 minutes, 54 seconds.

[00:05] Voice over
Welcome to SimpleCertifiedMail.com. This video tutorial will show you how to prepare Certified Mail cover sheets and labels for a batch job where all items are the same number of pages, and use the same size Certified Mail envelope. Or if you are using our adhesive labels on large flat envelopes, or boxes and all pieces are the same weight.

[00:31] Voice over
Before we begin there are a few things to note. By default the batch processing feature is disabled in your account. Please contact client service to enable batch processing. Batch processing requires a basic understanding of how to work with Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, zip files, and PDF files.

[00:51] Voice over
The first step in preparing your data for import is to format the mailing list as a Microsoft Excel or comma separated file, also known as a CSV file. Your file name must end in .XLSX, .XLS, or .CSV.

[01:12] Voice over
Before you can import your data into our system, it needs to be organized into a spreadsheet. Column headings represent the field names and each row is an individual mail piece. The column headings highlighted in yellow here are required to be in your spreadsheet. The column headings in blue are optional. Note that your column heading labels did not need to exactly match the headings in our sample spreadsheet. During the import process, you will map your labels to the system labels. In your file each row must contain a name, at least one address line, a city name, the state, and a five digit zip code.

[01:56] Voice over
When preparing your data, be sure to avoid common mistakes that result in errors during the import process. If your current data has two columns for the first and last name, the columns must be combined into a single column in your spreadsheet. Our system limits each cell to 46 characters. In your data, remove all non alphanumeric characters such as percentage marks, ampersands, and dollar signs.

[02:29] Voice over
Once your file is ready, login to your account. Under "create cover sheets and labels", select "batch jobs" then click "new job". The first batch job screen appears. Name the batch job and select an output format.

[02:48] Voice over
Single group is the default for the batch wizard process that we're using today. If your organization has users divided into several groups, select one of the groups. Multiple groups is only used when sending mixed pieces, so for now ignore this option. Do not select a job file at this time you'll do that later in the process.

[03:09] Voice over
Finally click "create job" through wizard to move to the next step. If you've created a single cover sheet or label, this screen will be familiar. Under step 1 enter the name of the originator of the batch mailing or select one from the address book. In step 2, choose the mail piece information - select the mailing service and whether you want restricted delivery. If your screen shows an "include postage option" and you are using electronic postage as most clients, do check the box.

[03:41] Voice over
At the container options, select the envelope size or SL 200 label and then select the number of pages or weight as appropriate. Make sure to check the box confirming the page count or weight. If you'd like to receive email notification for each piece that is delivered, check the box and enter the proper email.

[04:03] Voice over
The "date advance" option lets you print cover sheets or labels with electronic postage that has a mailing date of up to 7 days in the future, not counting Sundays. This option is ideal when you're generating many mail pieces for several days before you plan to mail them. For example, if you're preparing 2,000 pieces a day over four days before mailing them all on the fifth day. When finished click "next step".

[04:32] Voice over
Now it's time to import the Excel or CSV file that you've prepared. Click "Choose file" and find the file on your computer. When you're ready, click "next step". Step four is where you match the column names in your Excel or CSV file with the fields available in our system. Pick the column names in your Excel or CSV file that match the input field in the right column. If your list doesn't contain certain fields, such as reference, item ID, cost code, or POD recipient, leave them as none. When finished, select "next step".

[05:11] Voice over
Step five is where you check the imported file to ensure that your data flowed into the correct columns. If it all looks good, click "finish". After uploading, the system then validates each address in your file against the USPS database. This ensures the required information is present to properly process the batch job including a valid address and zip code. This step takes a few seconds for small lists, and around 5 minutes for lists with around 3,000 entries.

[05:43] Voice over
Click the "refresh" button periodically until the status changes to validated and you see a new file with the word "validation" added at the end of the file name. If you see the message "validate failed", it means you should check the mapping of the data fields between your file and the system to make sure they match. It also may indicate some basic information is missing from your file.

[06:08] Voice over
Once the information has been corrected, upload a new file. You can learn more by reading the "what to do if address validation fails" section at the end of the batch processing wizard guide found on our website.

[06:24] Voice over
Next, you have a choice to "preview", "process", or "delete" the batch job. The "preview" process is important to run the first time you mail a list of addresses. Preview checks that all addresses conform to parameters such as maximum of 46 characters per cell and no symbol characters. Preview also creates a PDF file that you can open to review how the cover sheets or labels look. For a file of around 3,000 addresses, the preview process takes approximately 20 minutes. Click "refresh" periodically until a third file ending in "preview.zip" appears in the list.

[07:07] Voice over
When the process is complete, click the link ending in "preview.zip" to download the file to your computer. The downloaded file will show you each cover sheet or label but it will not include postage. Clients often use this as a final verification step before generating a PDF file that contains actual postage. If everything looks good click the "process" link.

[07:33] Voice over
"Process" adds postage to the addresses and prepares the final PDF for printing. For large files of 3,000 addresses, it takes approximately 20 minutes. Smaller files process much faster. Click "refresh" periodically until a new file ending in ".zip" appears last in the list. Click it to download to your computer.

[07:55] Voice over
The zip file contains a final PDF with postage along with a final validated data file in Excel format for your records. The final step is to print the PDF file like you would any other printable page. All of the cover sheets are labels in your file will print sequentially. That's it. Now you know how to process a batch job where all Certified Mail letters you're sending are the same number of pages and used the same size envelopes or boxes.

[08:24] Voice over
Thank you for choosing SimpleCertifiedMail.com. If you have any questions please reach out via our website or give us a call at 888-462-1750, extension 2. This information is also contained in the batch processing wizard manual that can be downloaded from our website at www.simplecertifiedmail.com/manuals/