Generate complete, professional mail merge templates in seconds using natural language prompts, removing the need to type replacement fields manually, or compose content from scratch.
What is Copilot Mail Merge?
Copilot Mail Merge uses AI to automatically generate mail merge template content, including:
Professional, high-quality letter content
Replacement fields for HR data
Appropriate tone for different communication types
Ready-to-use templates in seconds
Instead of spending time creating a template manually, you can describe what you need and Copilot will create it instantly.
Accessing Copilot Mail Merge
Log into Access Education People.
Navigate to the Mail Merge section of the Content menu.
Navigate to the section of the template library that you want to create a new template for, and click Add Mail Merge Template.
Look for the Copilot option in the template creation area.
Creating A Mail Merge Template Using Copilot
Describe What You Need
In the Copilot prompt box, describe the template you want to create.
Example prompts:
"Create a fixed-term contract offer letter for a teaching assistant"
"Draft a sickness absence notification letter"
"Write a performance review outcome letter"
Tips for effective prompts:
Be specific about the type of letter
Mention the audience of the letter (role, situation)
Include details about the key information to cover
Specify the require tone if needed (e.g. formal, supportive, professional)
Review Generated Template Content
Copilot generates the complete template in seconds, including letter structure and content, replacement fields, and proper formatting.
Check the content matches your requirements, the replacement fields are correct for the data you want to include, and the tone is appropriate for the situation.
Customise and Edit Generated Template
You can customise the generated content as necessary. You can add any specific details or unique requirements by editing the generated content in the text box.
đ¤ Tip: You can click the name of the replacement field to add it to the template.
If you want to regenerate the content, click the Regenerate button, and Copilot will create new template content based on the same prompt (this will overwrite all content in the text editor, so use this option only when you want to start again with new content).
Save and Use
Enter a name for the new template in the Mail Merge Template Name field in the top left corner of the page.
Click Save to save the mail merge template. The new template and content will be available to use as usual when creating mail merge documents.
Template Examples and Prompts
Contract and Offer Letters: "Create a permanent teaching contract offer letter, including salary, start date, probation period, and line manager name"
Absence Management Letters: "Write a formal letter about unauthorised absence, professional but firm tone, include absence dates and requirement to discuss"
Performance Review Letters: "Create an appraisal outcome letter for support staff including performance rating, objectives for next year, and development opportunities"
Policy Acknowledgement: "Create a template for staff to acknowledge receipt of new safeguarding policy, include policy name, date issued, and signature requirement"
Tips for writing effective prompts
Be specific about the letter type
âCreate a letterâ and âWrite something about absenceâ are vague.
"Create a maternity leave confirmation letter" and "Draft a return to work meeting invitation following sickness absence" are more specific
Include key information to cover
âCreate a contractâ is very basic
"Create a fixed-term teaching contract for maternity cover, include duration, salary, conditions, and return date of permanent post holder" includes much more information and will produce a template that includes these elements
Specify your audience
âWrite an absence letterâ is vague and doesnât provide information about the intended audience
"Write a supportive sickness absence letter for a long-serving teaching assistant" is more targeted and will generate a template that is more appropriate in tone for the audience
Mention tone when important
"Draft a resignation acceptance" does not specify a tone
"Draft a warm, appreciative resignation acceptance letter thanking them for 15 years of service" includes the intended tone and will produce a template that is a better fit to these requirements
AI Best Practices
Always review generated content
Before using a generated template, check accuracy of information and structure, the appropriateness for your specific context (including tone), alignment with school and trust policies, the replacement fields used in the template, and compliance with employment law and GDPR.
Customise generated templates
Add extra elements and make changes to tailor the template fully to your specific needs, including any school or trust naming conventions or branding elements, and specific details such as policy references and numbers, or contact details.
Troubleshooting
Template doesn't include fields I need
Click to place the cursor in the text editor at the point you want the field to be entered. Find the replacement field in the list on the right-hand side and click to add it to the template.
Tone isn't appropriate
Amend your prompt to include instructions about the tone to use. For example, âwarm and supportiveâ or âformal and professionalâ. You can also edit the generated content to adjust the tone.
Generated content doesn't match our policies
Always customise generated content to align with your policies. Copilot can provide a general best-practice structure, but any school-specific requirements and procedures need to be added by you.
Data Security
Your template data is protected.
Company Secure
Copilot is hosted privately on a secure AI environment. Your template data never leaves your organisation or gets shared externally.
User Permissions
Users can only create documents from templates with staff information they have permission to access in People. Copilot respects your existing security settings.
GDPR Compliant
All data handling meets GDPR requirements. Template data stays within your secure environment and is never used to train external AI models.