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Mail Merge and How to Use the Non-Responders (NR) List for EOS Communications

This guide details the process of using the NR List provided by Percept Research to send Extension of Survey (EOS) messages using Mail Merge.

Overview

During the fielding period of your project, your Project Manager (Jerry Sabo) will provide you with a Non-Responders (NR) List. This file identifies students who have not yet completed the survey or have only partially completed it.

The primary purpose of this list is to facilitate Extension of Survey (EOS) messages—targeted reminders sent directly from your institution's email system. These messages are critical for removing barriers to response by providing each student with their unique survey link.

Understanding Your NR List Data

The NR List is typically provided as a .csv or .xlsx file (e.g., NRList-Hogwarts EMBA...). Before beginning your mail merge, review the file to ensure it contains the following standard headers:

  • Last Name & First Name: Used for personalizing the salutation (e.g., "Dear [First Name],").
  • Email Address: The destination for your EOS message.
  • Status: Indicates the student's progress (e.g., "Email Sent," "Email Opened," "Survey Started"). Note: You may choose to filter this list if you wish to send different messages to those who have started vs. those who have not, but generally, one reminder applies to all.
  • Link: (Crucial) This column contains the unique, individual survey link for each specific respondent. You must use this specific link in your mail merge. Do not use a generic URL.

Step-by-Step: Creating the Mail Merge

  1. Prepare Your Data Source
    1. Save the NR List file provided by Percept Research to a known location on your computer (e.g., "Documents/Surveys").
    2. Ensure the file is closed before opening Word.
  2. Set Up the Document in Microsoft Word
    1. Open Microsoft Word and open a blank document.
    2. Go to the Mailings
    3. Click Start Mail Merge and select E-mail Messages.
    4. Draft your message. (See Best Practices below for tips).
  3. Link Your Data
    1. On the Mailings tab, click Select Recipients > Use an Existing List.
    2. Navigate to and select your NR List file.
    3. If prompted, confirm the Sheet or Delimiter settings (usually standard for CSV/Excel).
  4. Insert Personalized Fields
    1. Place your cursor where you want the student's name to appear (e.g., after "Hi").
    2. Click Insert Merge Field and select First Name.
    3. Inserting the Survey Link:
      • Place your cursor where you want the link to appear.
      • Click Insert Merge Field and select Link.
      • Tip: To ensure the highest deliverability and ease of use, we recommend pasting the full raw link (the merge field itself) rather than trying to embed it behind text like "Click Here," as some security filters block embedded redirect links.
  1. Preview and Finish
    1. Click Preview Results on the Mailings tab.
    2. Cycle through the first few recipients using the arrow buttons. Verify that the First Name changes and, most importantly, that the Link is different for every person.
    3. Click Finish & Merge > Send Email Messages.
    4. In the dialogue box:
      • To: Select the Email Address column.
      • Subject line: Enter your subject line (e.g., "Survey Extension: Your feedback is needed").
      • Mail format:

5.  Click OK to send.

Best Practices for EOS Messages

  • Remove Barriers: The most common reason for non-response is a lost original invite. By including the Link merge field directly in your reminder, you allow the student to click and start immediately without searching their inbox.
  • Tone & Timing: EOS messages are most effective when they come from a known entity (e.g., the Program Director or Class Representative) rather than a generic department address. A personal tone ("I noticed you haven't had a chance to...") works best.
  • Subject Lines: Keep it short and urgent but professional.
  • Good: "Feedback needed: EMBA Survey extension"
  • Bad: "Reminder" (Too vague)
  • Technical Safety: Avoid adding too many images or attachments to your mail merge, as these can trigger spam filters. Text-based emails with the direct survey link have the highest delivery success rates.

Video Resource

For a visual walkthrough of distributing unique survey links via Word Mail Merge, please refer to this tutorial:

Distribute the Personalized Survey Links

This video provides a clear, step-by-step visual guide on setting up a mail merge in Microsoft Word specifically for distributing personalized survey links from an Excel source, matching the exact workflow required for your NR List.