Frustrating ... Stressful .... Tedious ... are probably just a few of the reactions you have to your data.


The truth? Your branching questionnaires are both a blessing and a curse.


On the one hand, they help you optimize your data collection process by helping you use one questionnaire to collect different information from different people, based on their responses.


On the other, when it's time to review your data, you're left:

  • scrolling up and down to find what's important - the best order for collecting data isn't always the best for reading through the data
  • scrolling past whole sections of questions that weren't relevant - because of how branching works, these questions were skipped over and are blank, but they still clutter up in the results you're shown


If you're trying to manually work through this data to create reports and other documents .... You're wasting HOURS....and probably making mistakes.


Wish you could automatically reorganize what was relevant into an easy-to-read format?


With Mail Merge, you can get automated, perfectly formatted reports that adjust based on each respondent’s answers.


No more wasted time. Just clean, organized data at your fingertips.


It's almost ridiculously easy:

Create a template to reorganize and display your data exactly how you want it.


A single data-responsive template can be used to handle all of your branching scenarios.


Then, as many times as needed....

  1. Export your questionnaire responses into a CSV or spreadsheet.
  2. Hook up your data to the template and go!


This course will show you how.

Julian needed a more efficient way to process data submitted for committee review.


"This mail merge approach revolutionized the work of two committees I lead.

We needed to review anywhere between 10 and 60 submissions per meeting. Without having to buy anything new, I was able to create a more efficient process. I capitalized on questionnaire branching to streamline data collection. Mail Merge report templates sped up our ability to review that data, because I could quickly produce sorted and formatted review packets for each meeting. With the templates I created, I could generate new reports from new data in a matter of minutes, meaning it was easy to keep us up-to-date.

This approach eliminated hours of busywork. It also made better use of software I already had."

-- Julian, Director

Mail Merge is the secret weapon you didn't know you had!

(It's not just for emails and form letters.)

Think of it like this: one template that adapts to your data - no matter how complex your branching is.


Here's what a data-responsive document template offers:


Without managing different templates or multiple datasets, you can accomodate all of the different ways your respondents were able to skip around through your question sections.


Simply put, it's a

  • a single template document that
  • contains IF-THEN style rules to determine what gets displayed - and how - BASED on each row's data. Those rules are usually in line with the different scenarios you were accomodating with your questionnaire branching.


Much like a a standard template, you'll still be able to plug values into data placeholders.


But now you'll also be able to do things like dynamically add your own annotations (e.g., instructions, different hyperlinks) to the final document based on each row's data, and only display what makes sense for each respondent's answers.

Here's what you'll learn - and do:


  • Design your own data-responsive template and get click-of-a-button updates with future data files.
  • Add and format text, numbers, dates, and as many hyperlinks as you need.
  • Sort your data (automatically, as part of the Mail Merge settings) so the reports are nicely ordered for you.
  • Skip fields and records you don't want to see (today).
  • Conditionally skip over entire sections of a document if they're not needed.
  • Understand how data moves from your spreadsheet or CSV file into your finished report document.

You Can Start Right Now



Hi, I'm Barbara!


I've been a business consultant for over 15 years, working with a range of companies from Fortune 500s to solopreneurs.


What I've learned over the years is that everyone who works with data needs a customized solution somewhere along the line.

And it doesn't have to cost a ton of money.

The most impactful solutions I've been a part of have frequently been the ones that

  • were so small that other consultants weren't willing to take on the job, and
  • that used tools that the businesses already had, like Microsoft Office.

Mail Merges with CSV files are a perfect example.

Barbara Olsafsky smiling

Here's the Full Curriculum

Use the preview buttons to see sample lessons.

Use the down arrow below the list to see every lesson included.

  Welcome
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  Foundations
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  Template Basics
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  Intermediate & Advanced Template Control
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  Distributing the files
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  What's next?
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(use the arrow button to expand the entire curriculum list)

* This course is always under development in response to student feedback. Sections, content titles, and content order are subject to change.

Create templates that automatically adjust to your data - no more manual editing!


That's the power of a template that responds to your data on a response-by-response basis.

Frequently Asked Questions


Q. How long do I have access to this course - what does "Lifetime Access" mean?
  • As long as Blou Designs continues to offer this course on Teachable, and as long as you can log in to the Teachable account with which you enrolled for this course, you'll have unlimited access.
Q. When does the course start?
  • This course is completely self-paced, so it starts whenever you're ready to start!
Q. What software or other equipment do I need to complete the course?
  • You need to be able to access your data in spreadsheet or CSV format. Most applications, including Qualtrics, Google Forms/Sheets, and Microsoft Forms, will let you download or export your data in this format.
  • You will need your own desktop license for Microsoft Word, version 2010 or newer; Mail Merge is not available for the online web app versions of Microsoft Word. Blou Designs will not supply you with with a license to Microsoft Word as part of your enrollment.
  • Since this is a video-based course, you might want to use speakers and/or headphones. Otherwise, closed captions are provided on all video content and you can follow along that way.
Q. Is this course for me?
  • This course is designed for busy professionals who frequently handle data from forms or surveys, but struggle with organizing or reviewing it efficiently.
  • If you're completely new to Mail Merge, the projects will take you through all of the steps you need to go from raw data to beautiful documents. No prior experience necessary!
  • If you've done Mail Merges before, you may benefit from the more advanced techniques that help you make your documents more responsive and adaptive to your data.
Q. You talk about documents and reports. What if I need a dashboard or other analytics from this data?
  • Analytics and dashboards are not covered here. This course is focused on document/report creation only, and does not include any information on how to perform calculations across multiple records or on how to create data visualizations.
  • If you need to analyze your data with tallies, analyses, and pretty graphs, this course isn't for you. You might want to look for a course on Excel, Power BI, or Tableau.
  • If you need to make changes to your data and sync those changes back to your form/survey system, this course isn't for you. You might need a customized software solution that involves some coding to fill that gap.
Q. What if I am unhappy with the course?
  • No one benefits from unhappy clients! This course is designed to help you learn about the Mail Merge feature and give you hands-on skills to use it to free yourself from busywork - whether today or in the future. If this course isn't hitting that mark for you and you want "out", email me within the first 30 days of enrollment and you will receive a refund.
Q. Are you affiliated with Microsoft?
  • Neither Blou Designs LLC nor this course is in any way affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft. This course was created independently to help folks take advantage of a powerful but frequently underutilized data processing tool to which many already have access.


Have more questions?

Send an email to [email protected].