When onboarding new clients, the first impression matters. A personalized welcome letter sets the tone for your relationship and communicates professionalism, care, and readiness. But creating and sending these letters manually takes time—especially if you onboard multiple clients each week.

Contents hide

I Benefits of Automating Client Welcome Letters with Active Merge

II Step-by-Step: Automate Client Welcome Letters with Active Merge

II.I Step 1: Create an Active Merge Account

II.II Step 2: Build Your Welcome Letter Template in Google Docs

II.III Step 3: Upload the Template to Active Merge

II.IV Step 4: Prepare Your Client Onboarding Spreadsheet in Google Sheets

II.V Step 5: Generate an API Key in Active Merge

II.VI Step 6: Set Up the Zap in Zapier (Trigger + Action)

II.VII Step 7 (Optional): Save Letters to Google Drive

II.VIII Step 8 (Optional): Email Welcome Letters Automatically

II.IX Step 9: Turn On the Zap

III Conclusion

III.I Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

With Active Merge, you can automate this process. By combining templates, spreadsheets, and Zapier automation, every client receives a polished, personalized welcome letter instantly, without extra work from your team.

Benefits of Automating Client Welcome Letters with Active Merge

Before diving into the setup, here’s why automating your welcome letters is worth it:

Consistency – Every client receives the same professional format, eliminating inconsistencies in communication.
Scalability – Whether onboarding 10 or 1,000 clients per month, the process remains the same.
Personalization at scale – Merge fields allow each letter to feel tailored without manual editing.
Time savings – Once set up, letters are generated and delivered automatically.
Better client experience – New clients feel valued immediately with a personalized, timely message.

Step-by-Step: Automate Client Welcome Letters with Active Merge

This section walks you through setting up automation for client welcome letters. Whether you onboard five clients a week or hundreds a month, these steps will help you scale your process while maintaining a personal touch.

Step 1: Create an Active Merge Account

To get started, you’ll need an Active Merge account.

Go to Active Merge and sign up for a free account.
Once inside your dashboard, you’ll be able to:
Upload and store your welcome letter templates.
Generate secure API keys for integrations.
Connect with Zapier, WordPress, or custom apps.
Monitor document activity and delivery.

This account will serve as the hub for all your automated documents.

Step 2: Build Your Welcome Letter Template in Google Docs

Your template is the backbone of automation—it defines how each client’s letter will look.

Open Google Docs and create a new document.
Write your welcome letter with placeholders for personalization. Placeholders are wrapped in curly brackets.

Example Template:

Once your template is complete:

Go to File > Download > Microsoft Word (.docx).
Save the file to your computer. You’ll upload it to Active Merge in the next step.

If you don’t want to start from scratch, visit ActiveMerge’s Free Templates page and choose from available invoice formats.

Step 3: Upload the Template to Active Merge

Now that you have a letter template, connect it to Active Merge.

Log in to your Active Merge dashboard.
Go to the Templates tab and click Add Template.
Upload your .docx file.
Click Detect Placeholders so Active Merge automatically recognizes your {fields}.
Confirm the fields and give your template a descriptive name (e.g., Client Welcome Letter).

Tip: Ensure placeholder names match your spreadsheet column headers exactly.

Step 4: Prepare Your Client Onboarding Spreadsheet in Google Sheets

This spreadsheet will provide the data for each client’s letter.

Open Google Sheets and create a new sheet.
Each row should represent one client.
Each column should correspond to a placeholder.

Example Spreadsheet:

Best Practices:

Use simple column headers (avoid spaces/symbols).
Match headers to template placeholders exactly.
Keep data clean and typo-free for polished letters.

Step 5: Generate an API Key in Active Merge

Zapier needs a secure way to connect to Active Merge.

In Active Merge, go to API Keys.
Click Generate New API Key.
Copy and store the key securely—you’ll need it for the Zapier setup.

Step 6: Set Up the Zap in Zapier (Trigger + Action)

Zapier will bridge your spreadsheet and Active Merge.

Google Sheets Trigger:

In Zapier, click Create a Zap.
Select Google Sheets as the trigger app.
Trigger event: New Spreadsheet Row.
Connect your Google account and select the onboarding sheet.
Test the trigger to ensure client data is detected.

Active Merge Action:

Add Active Merge as the action app.
Action event: Generate Document.
Enter your API key.
Choose your “Client Welcome Letter” template.
Select output format: PDF.
Map spreadsheet columns to placeholders (e.g., {ClientName} → ClientName).
Run a test to generate a sample letter.

Step 7 (Optional): Save Letters to Google Drive

To archive letters automatically:

Add another Zapier step.
Select Google Drive.
Event: Upload File.
File: Use the generated PDF from Active Merge.
Destination: /Client_Welcome_Letters.

Step 8 (Optional): Email Welcome Letters Automatically

You can send letters directly to clients without manual effort.

Add another Zapier step.
Select Gmail (or your preferred email tool).
Event: Send Email.
“To” field: Map the ClientEmail column.
Subject: “Welcome to {CompanyName}!”
Attachment: The PDF letter from Active Merge.
Email body:

Hi {ClientName}, Welcome to {CompanyName}! Attached is your official welcome letter with next steps. We’re excited to start this journey with you. Best, The {CompanyName} Team

Step 9: Turn On the Zap

Once you’re satisfied with the setup:

Click Publish in Zapier.
From now on, whenever a new client row is added to your spreadsheet, their welcome letter will be generated, saved (optional), and emailed automatically.

Conclusion

Automating welcome letters with Active Merge transforms client onboarding from a manual, time-consuming process into a seamless, scalable workflow. Instead of formatting documents one by one or copying the same email over and over, your team can rely on a system that handles it automatically.

The result is a consistent, polished, and personalized first impression for every new client—delivered instantly. This not only saves hours of administrative work but also ensures no client is overlooked during a busy onboarding period.

Whether you’re welcoming a few clients each month or onboarding hundreds at scale, Active Merge helps you maintain professionalism, improve efficiency, and free your team to focus on what matters most: building strong client relationships and delivering value from day one.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can each welcome letter be customized for individual clients?

Yes. Using merge tags like {ClientName}, {StartDate}, and {AccountManager} in your template ensures each client receives a personalized letter automatically.

Can I send the welcome letters automatically by email?

Yes. You can integrate Active Merge with Zapier to send each generated letter as a PDF attachment to the client’s email right after it’s created.

Do I need coding experience to set this up?

No. Active Merge is designed for non-technical users. Simply prepare your template, link it to a Google Sheet, and use Zapier to automate document generation and delivery.