Duplicate letters, misspellings, incorrect email addresses can make you look silly, plus they’re wasteful. Before you start your next mass communication, copy your list into Excel, because it’s not just for numbers. You can work database magic en masse.
You can:
• get rid of duplicates
• correct email and address errors
• create targeted emailing lists
• add information not held in your original file.
Most of the tricks are Excel functions which you’ll find by clicking Functions on the Insert menu, or the fx icon. An example of ones you’ll find exceedingly useful are:
• Exact – removes duplicates
• Form – enter information via a form rather than tabbing across
• Trim – removes extra spaces between words
• Proper – corrects tense (with first letter capitalised)
• Concatenate – merges separate columns of information into one (a great way to split names for addressing letters; go to Text to Columns).
If you like this tip please share it with friends and colleagues.
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