> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.outboundlegal.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Client letters

> Send your own clients a thank-you after a case settles, a yearly letter, or a one-time announcement. Nothing mails until you approve it.

<Info>
  **Early access.** If you don't see **Client letters** under **Marketing** in the sidebar, email [support@outboundlegal.com](mailto:support@outboundlegal.com) and we'll turn it on.
</Info>

Client letters go to the people on your [Clients list](/help/clients) — not to crash prospects. Firms use them for a thank-you after a case settles (a good moment to ask for a referral), a New Year's letter, or news like a new practice area.

**Nothing ever mails before you approve it.** When letters are due, we make a list, email you, and wait. You check the list, untick anyone you like, and approve.

## How it works, start to finish

1. You set up a client letter once: when it goes out, which template, and who mails it.
2. On the morning letters are due, we put together a **batch**: the clients who should get the letter that day.
3. We email you: "3 client letters are waiting for your approval." The email links straight to each batch.
4. You open the batch, check the names, untick anyone who shouldn't get it, and click **Approve and mail**.
5. The letters are printed and mailed. The batch moves to **History**, where you can see how many were mailed.

## Set up a client letter

1. Go to **Marketing → Client letters** and click **New client letter**.
2. **Name** it, for example "Settlement thank-you". You'll see this name in emails and in History.
3. Pick **when it's sent**:
   * **After a case settles** — a set number of days (0 to 365) after the **Date settled** on the client's record. For example, 30 days.
   * **Every year on a date** — pick a month and day, such as January 2. If you pick the 29th, 30th or 31st, shorter months use their last day.
   * **Once, on a date** — pick the day.
4. **Only these case types** (optional) — leave it blank to include every client, or list case types separated by commas, such as "Motor vehicle accident, Slip and fall". They must match the **Case type** on the client's record.
5. **Letter template** — pick a published letter template. If you don't have one, upload one under **Marketing → Templates** first.
6. **Mailed by** — who prints and mails the letters. See [Who mails client letters](#who-mails-client-letters) below.
7. **Return address** — starts with your address on file. Change it if this letter should come from somewhere else.
8. **Phone** and **Website on the letter** (optional) — printed on the letter if your template uses them.
9. Click **Create**.

<Note>
  **A new client letter only looks forward.** Clients whose letter date has already passed when you create it aren't included. Turning on a settlement thank-you today won't mail everyone who settled last year.
</Note>

## Who mails client letters

* **LetterFriend** — your own LetterFriend account prints and mails the letters, and LetterFriend bills you. Save your LetterFriend API key under **Settings → Integrations** first. Until you do, this choice is greyed out.
* **Mailed by OutboundLegal** — we print and mail the letters for you from your prepaid mail balance. This is **coming soon**; it appears here once it's turned on for your account. Email us if you'd like to be told when it's ready.

See [Mailing options](/help/mailing-options) for more on each.

## The daily email

Each morning, if any batch is waiting, we send one email listing them: the client letter's name and how many letters, with a link to each batch.

It goes to the account owner, with your default **Campaign managers** (set on **Marketing → Campaigns**) copied.

The same batches are listed at the top of **Marketing → Client letters**, under **Waiting for your approval**.

## Review and approve a batch

1. Open the batch from the email, or click **Review** next to it under **Waiting for your approval**.
2. Check the list. Each row shows the client's name, case type and settled date.
3. **Untick** anyone who shouldn't get this letter.
4. Click **Approve and mail**. We ask you to confirm: approving sends real mail, mailing costs apply, and you can't undo it once it's on its way.

Only the people still ticked are mailed.

**Don't want this batch at all?** Click **Decline this batch**. Nobody on the list gets this letter for this event, and the batch won't come back the next day.

**Didn't get to it?** A batch nobody approves within 30 days of its due date expires, as if you'd declined it. A Thanksgiving letter won't go out in March.

## Stop a mailing

After you approve, the batch shows **Approved — mailing soon** for a short time. Until mailing starts, you can open it and click **Stop this mailing**.

Once it shows **Mailing** or **Mailed**, it can't be stopped.

## History

**Marketing → Client letters → History** lists recent batches with their date and status:

| Status | What it means |
| - | - |
| Waiting for approval | Ready for you to review. |
| Approved — mailing soon | You approved it; mailing starts shortly. |
| Mailing | Letters are going out now. |
| Mailed | Done. Shows how many were mailed. |
| Partly mailed | Some letters went out and some didn't. Open it to see who was skipped and why. |
| Didn't mail | Something stopped the batch. Open it for the reason, or contact us. |
| Declined | You declined or stopped it, or it expired. |

Click any batch to see who was on it.

## Who never gets a letter

These clients are left out automatically, even if you approved the batch:

* **Clients marked Do not mail** — including anyone you mark after the batch was made.
* **Clients without a full mailing address** (street, city, state and ZIP) at the time of mailing.
* **Clients you've deleted.**
* **Clients whose case type doesn't match**, if the letter is limited to certain case types.
* **Anyone who already got this letter for the same event.** A client gets one settlement thank-you per settlement, and one yearly letter per year. This holds even if you delete a client and import them again.
* **Clients whose settled date you corrected.** If you mark a change as a correction, they don't get a second thank-you. If you mark it as a new settlement, they can. See [When a settled date changes](/help/clients#when-a-settled-date-changes).

## Pause or delete a client letter

On **Marketing → Client letters**, under **Your client letters**:

* **Pause:** switch it **Off**. No new batches are made while it's off. Switch it **On** to start again. The list shows the date of the next batch for yearly and one-time letters.
* **Delete:** click the delete button and confirm. No more batches are made, and any batch waiting for approval is declined. Letters already mailed stay in **History**.


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