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5.4 Create Letters *Client Structure*

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In this lesson:

 

Please Note: If you see features in this lesson that aren’t in your account, this lesson may be what you're looking for instead.

 

Letters, such as Engagement Letters, document and define a professional relationship between you and your client. It's best practice for both of you to sign this document.

Create a Letter

You can quickly create the letters you use in your practice in Canopy - from engagement letters to proposals. You can make letters on the fly or from a Letter Template.

Our recommendation? Save an engagement letter as a letter template to save time.

To generate a letter:

  1. Click on the Global + Button
  2. Select Letter from the secondary navigation menu.
  3. Select a Client.
  4. Choose a Letter Template. 
    1. If you don't have a letter template, then choose Create New Letter. You can easily copy and paste from another document here. Be aware that Canopy does not have default letter templates. You will have to create or copy/paste your own!

Once you add a letter template or create a new letter, you'll be taken to the Create Letter window.

A new blank letter will not contain any text or formatting. If you used a template, the window will be populated with information from your template.

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Format Your Letter

The Create Letter toolbar enables you to add detailed formatting to letter text and provides common style formatting options. For example, the toolbar lets you format fonts, font sizes, colors, insert images, hyperlink text, and alignment for the letter.

Insert Boilerplate Text

Boilerplate Text is any text (copy) that can be reused without significant changes to the original. Indeed, the boilerplate text is a type of template. If you want to use boilerplate text, you have to create it beforehand. Learn how to create it here.

To add boilerplate:

  1. Select Insert Boilerplate Text
  2. Click on a Boilerplate Category
  3. Choose a Boilerplate

The text is immediately entered onto your document.

Insert Merge Fields

A merge field is a field you can put into your letter that will pull values from your practitioner info, client info, or dates. For example, you can place a merge field in a letter so that the greeting includes the client's name rather than a simple “Hello!”.

To add merge fields:

  1. Select Insert Merge Field
  2. Choose a category (i.e. Firm Info, Client Info)
  3. Select a merge field attribute.

The information from the source you chose is placed in the document!

Saving a Letter

Letters are not saved automatically, so if you want to reference this document later on, don't forget to save it!

The letter is saved under the Client's Files for the client the letter is for. If you've structured folders for that client, those appear here and you can save the file under that folder. Note if you have subfolders (folders under a folder), those are made visible by selecting the parent folder. Simply click a folder as the destination.

Click Next and you'll be asked if you want this made visible in the client portal:

  • Choosing yes means the client will be able to see the letter.
  • If not, the file is still saved under that client's folder, but can't be seen by the client.

If you choose to make it visible, you can also choose to notify any collaborators like the client and teammates assigned to the client.

The letter is saved as a .docx file in the specified location and you will be able to continue editing the letter as needed.

Sending a Letter

You also have several options for using your created letter:

Action Steps
Click on the Print icon to print a PDF of your letter.

Download

 Click on the Download icon to download a .docx file of your letter.

Add an eSign Request

 Click on the Attach to eSign icon to convert the letter to a PDF and Send an eSign request using the letter.

Attach to Client Request

 Click the Attach to Client Request icon to attach the letter as a PDF and send it as a Client Request.

Email Attachment

 Click on the Attach to Email icon to attach the letter to an email as a PDF file.

Use Letter Templates

Letter templates make it easy to save frequently used letters and send them with engagements to your clients. 

You can also upload a .docx file as a template as well! Once uploaded, you can make further changes to the document without having to re-format it.

To learn more, click here.

 

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