Administration of Applicant Correspondence in SAP HR

Use

The Recruitment system can automatically create all letters and documents required for correspondence with an applicant (such as confirmations of receipt, interview invitations, contract offers) using either SAPscript or Microsoft Word. Having the system create correspondence automatically means that:

• you do not have to create standard applicant letters; instead, you simply assign the letters to applicants and print them out
• you can create individual letters for applicants by simply editing the standard letter.

You can also send letters in the form of faxes and e-mails directly from the R/3 System. See Sending Correspondence to Applicants via Fax or E-mail (SAPconnect).

Integration

Applicant correspondence is created using applicant activities. When the system is customized, one or more company-specific standard letters/documents (standard texts) containing variables for including applicant data are created for every applicant activity that involves sending a letter/document to the applicant (e.g. Send confirmation of receipt). These letters are created using either SAPscript or Microsoft Word. If the applicant is to receive a standard letter, you must assign him or her an applicant activity. You can call up the relevant applicant correspondence via this activity. You can then display or print the letter directly. The system inserts the applicant's personal data automatically into the standard letter.

If the applicant is to receive an individual letter, you must assign a suitable applicant activity to him or her using the Create planned activity function. You call up a standard text from the applicant activity screen. The applicant’s personal data are automatically inserted into the letter. To create an individual letter, change the standard letter in SAPscript or Microsoft Word. If you want to change a letter using Microsoft Word, you can use all the variables available in the system for applicant data. These variables are replaced with the appropriate applicant data. Each individual letter is then saved with the data on the applicant. You can display or print out this letter at any time. It is also important to note that you can reverse the changes you have made to the standard letter at any time.

Features

Letters or documents for applicants can either be printed out individually via the connected activity, or together with other letters using bulk processing. A letter is dealt with in bulk processing if you have set the indicator for Recurring tasks in the connected activity.

You can adjust the system settings so that when an applicant action (such as Initial entry of basic data ) is performed, the system automatically creates a corresponding activity (e.g. Mail receipt of application) and sets the indicator for Recurring tasks. This speeds up and simplifies correspondence with applicants.

See also:

Creating Applicant Letters

Recurring Tasks

Recurring Tasks in SAP HR

Use

Printing and sending of letters in the form of faxes and e-mails in bulk processing and transfer of applicant data to Personnel Administration are carried out using Recurring tasks. Recurring tasks include various reports. These are used in two stages: Each task (printing letters, data transfer) is first of all performed by a report. It can be run as often as you wish and can also be run in test mode. After the task has been successfully completed, a second report then sets the corresponding planned activities for the tasks to Completed. These activities are thus completed and the system does not select them again the next time a letter is printed or data is transferred. The two-stage concept of Recurring tasks enables you to repeat letter printing or data transfer as often as is necessary until it has been successfully completed.

See also:

Outputting Letters Using Bulk Processing

Sending Correspondence to Applicants via Fax or E-Mail (SAPconnect).

Transferring Data

Setting Planned Activities to Completed

Creating Applicant Letters in SAP HR

Use

When creating a letter to an applicant, you have a choice of the following options:

• You can choose a standard letter, which is assigned to the applicant by means of the corresponding applicant activity. The applicant's personal data is automatically inserted into the standard letter when it is displayed and printed.
• You can create an individual letter for the applicant. To do this you must assign a standard letter to the applicant using the corresponding activity, and then modify this standard letter using either SAPscript or Microsoft Word. This individual letter is then saved with the data on the applicant. The applicant's personal data is automatically inserted into the standard letter when it is displayed and printed.

If you have created an individual letter for an applicant, you can nevertheless delete this at any time and retrieve the appropriate standard letter.

Creating an Applicant Activity and Applicant Correspondence With a Standard Text in SAP HR

Prerequisites

You are on the Maintain Applicant Activities screen.

Procedure

1. You can create the activity as a planned activity, or as a completed activity.

To create the activity as a	Choose:	The following screen appears:
Planned activity	Edit ® Create planned activity	Create Planned Activity
Completed activity	Edit ® Create completed activity	Create Completed Activity

2. In the Activity type field, enter the desired activity.
3. In the Performance field, enter the desired performance date.
4. In the Standard text field, enter the desired standard text.
1. To see what standard texts are available, choose Possible entries for the Standard text field.

The Find Standard Texts screen appears.

2. Choose Program
® Execute.

The Find Standard Texts screen appears.

3. To select a standard text, choose Choose.




To display a preview of a standard text, select the text you want, and choose Text lines.

5. If necessary, select Send mail.
6. Select Recurring tasks if you want to print out the standard letter in bulk processing.
7. Choose Transfer.

This takes you back to the Maintain Applicant Activities screen.

8. Save your entries.

Result

You have created the applicant activity with a standard letter.

Creating an Individual Letter for an Applicant Activity in SAP HR

Prerequisites

• An individual letter to an applicant can either be created along with the activity it accompanies or at any later date, provided the activity has the status planned. This procedure can only be performed if the applicant has been assigned a planned activity, together with the appropriate standard letter.
• You are on the
Maintain Applicant Activities screen.

Procedure

1. Select the desired activity, and choose Edit
® Change activity.

The Create Planned Activity dialog box appears.

2. Choose Change letter.

The Change Applicant Correspondence: Language EN screen appears, displaying a copy of the standard letter.

3. Change the text.
4. Save your entries.
5. Choose Back.

The Create Planned Activity dialog box appears.



The field Letter changed is now selected.

6. Choose Transfer.

The Maintain Applicant Activities screen appears.

7. Save your entries.

Result

An individual letter to an applicant has been created for the planned activity.

See also:

Retrieving a Standard Letter on an Applicant Activity

Creating an Individual Letter for an Applicant Activity (Microsoft Word) in SAP HR

Prerequisites

• An individual letter to an applicant can either be created along with the activity it accompanies or at any later date, provided the activity has the status planned. This procedure can only be performed if the applicant has been assigned a planned activity, together with the appropriate standard letter.
• You are on the
Maintain Applicant Activities screen.

Procedure

1. Select the desired activity, and choose Edit
® Change activity.

The Create Planned Activity dialog box appears.

2. Choose Change letter.

Microsoft Word is started, and a copy of the standard letter is displayed.

3. Change the text.



The function Include mail merge field enables you to include additional variables for applicant data in the individual applicant letter.

4. Save the text, then either exit Microsoft Word or keep it open for further steps.

You have saved. What now?	Choose:	Remark
Exit Word	Back to R/3, close and save	Microsoft Word stays open as an icon.
Don’t exit Word	Back to R/3, save



If you choose File ® Save, or File ® Save As... in Microsoft Word, the letter is only saved locally on your PC and not in the R/3 system.

The system displays a window entitled Create Planned Activity.



The field Letter changed is now selected.

5. Choose Transfer.

The Maintain Applicant Activities screen appears.

6. Save your entries.

Result

An individual letter to an applicant has been created for the planned activity.

See also:

Retrieving a Standard Letter on an Applicant Activity

Retrieving a Standard Letter on an Applicant Activity in SAP HR

Prerequisites

You are on the Maintain Applicant Activities screen.

Procedure

1. Select the desired activity, and choose Edit
® Change activity.

The Create Planned Activity dialog box appears.

Choose Undo changes.

The Delete Letter dialog box appears.

2. Choose Yes.
3. Choose Transfer.

The Maintain Applicant Activities screen appears.

4. Save your entries.

Result

The standard letter to the applicant for the planned activity is retrieved.

Printing a Letter for an Activity in SAP HR

Prerequisites

You are on the Maintain Applicant Activities screen.

Procedure

1. Select the desired activity, and choose Edit
® Change activity.

The Change Planned Activity or Change Completed Activity dialog box appears.

2. Choose Print letter.

The Print dialog box appears.

3. Enter your data as required.

– To print the letter immediately, select Output immediately.

– To create a spool request, select New spool request

4. Choose Print.

Result

The letter is printed or written to the spool (from where it can be printed).

Outputting Letters Using Bulk Processing in SAP HR

Use

You can use Recurring Tasks to print letters, or send them as faxes or e-mails in bulk processing. Recurring tasks include various reports which are run in two steps: First, the letters are printed using a report. Then, another report sets the planned applicant activities to Completed.

If problems arise during printing, you can repeat it as often as is necessary.

See also:

Faxing and E-Mailing Letters to Applicants

Outputting Letters Using Recurring Tasks in SAP HR

Prerequisites

You must select the Recurring tasks field in the accompanying activity for each letter to be output using bulk processing.

Procedure

1. Choose Applicant activity
® Print letters ® Execute.

The Recurring Tasks: Print Letters (SAPscript) or the Recurring Tasks: Print Letters (WinWord) screen appears.

2. Enter any selection criteria required.




To avoid possible errors later when the activity status is automatically changed from Planned to Completed, you should not enter selection criteria manually but use a variant.

If you select the Test field, the system simply displays the letters on the screen.

3. Choose Program
® Execute.

Result

The letters are output.

Repeating Printing of Letters Using Recurring Tasks in SAP HR

Prerequisites

If problems occur when outputting letters using bulk processing, resulting in only some of the letters or indeed none at all being output, the output procedure must be repeated. The procedure for this depends on whether or not the applicants for whom the letters are to be output appear on the error list.

Letters were not output. The applicants in question appear on the error list (R/3 problem).

1. Correct the error.
2. Repeat the
Outputting Letters Using Recurring Tasks process.




You will have to enter the same selection criteria as the first time round on the Recurring Tasks: Print Letters screen.

Letters were not output. Letters were not output but the applicants do not appear on the error list (printer problem).

3. First carry out the
Setting Planned Activities to Completed After Printing Letters procedure for all the activities whose letters were output correctly.
4. Rectify the error, then repeat the
Outputting Letters Using Recurring Tasks procedure. When you do this, mark the Repeat field on the Recurring Tasks: Print Letters screen.

You will have to enter the same selection criteria as the first time round on the Recurring Tasks: Print Letters screen.

Setting Planned Activities to Completed After Printing Letters in SAP HR

1. Choose Applicant activity
® Print letters ® Complete activities.

The Recurring Tasks: Completed Activities After Printing screen appears.

2. Select the same letters (variant) as in the
Outputting Letters Using Recurring Tasks procedure.
3. Enter the same criteria as you did on the selection screen for the Outputting Letters Using Bulk Processing procedure.
4. Choose Program
® Execute.

The Recurring Tasks: Completed Activities After Printing screen appears.

5. Select all the activities which are to be set to Completed.
6. Choose Edit
® Complete activity.

Result

All selected activities are set to Completed.

Calling an Applicant Using SAPphone in SAP HR

Use

You can use this function to call an applicant directly from master data maintenance. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can call an applicant directly. You no longer need to find and dial the applicant’s number manually.

Prerequisites

You need to make client-specific, work center-specific, and user-specific settings to use this function.

For more information, see the R/3 Library BC ® Basis ® BC - SAPphone ® Telephone integration.

Features

The SAPphone dialog box can be used to

• initiate the call
• terminate the call
• process the call further

The individual functions available in this dialog box are:

• Dial

The Dial function puts the call through. The phone number is passed on to the phone system, and a connection is established between your phone and the applicant’s phone number. You can only find out if the applicant has picked up the phone, or if the number is busy via your own phone.

• Dial and close

The Dial and close function puts the call through as described above, but once this has happened the dialog box is closed. After that, you will not be able to create notes, for example, or end the call from the dialog box.

• Notes

The Notes function allows you to create SAPoffice documents and save them in a folder. Once you have selected a folder, you can create a document and enter a text. When you save the document, the call is linked to it (in other words, you can trigger the call from the document by selecting the appropriate attachment).

You can also perform this function during a call without affecting the phone call in question.

• Start application

By choosing Start application, you activate tasks (either individual steps or a workflow) that are suitable for the SAPphone outbox (and have been flagged as such). These tasks can transfer the data displayed in the dialog box and, for example, use it for the follow-up activities to a phone call. The system displays a list of tasks that you are authorized to perform.

• Refresh

The Refresh function enables you to modify the contents of the dialog box to take account of changes in phone number or country indicator.

• Close

This function closes the dialog box. Calls that have already been put through are not interrupted, and notes are not deleted.

Activities

In applicant master data maintenance, choose the Call applicant function.

The system opens up the SAPphone dialog box, where the call can be initiated, ended and processed further. The applicant’s data is transferred to the dialog box so that you do not have to look in master data for the phone number of the person you want to call.

For more information about SAPphone, see the R/3 Library BC ® Basis ® BC - SAPphone ® Telephone integration with SAPphone.

See also:

Calling an Applicant

Phoning an Applicant in SAP HR

Prerequisites

You need to make client-specific, work center-specific, and user-specific settings to use this function.

For further information, refer to Basis (BC) ® Basis Services / Communication ® SAPphone - Telephone integration.

Procedure

1. Choose Applicant master data
® Maintain.

The Maintain Applicant Master Data screen appears.

2. In the Applicant number field, enter the desired number.
3. Choose Auxiliary functions
® Call applicant.

A dialog box appears, displaying the applicant’s phone numbers.

4. Select the phone number you want.
5. Choose Dial.




The Dial function is only available if you have made the appropriate settings.

The SAPphone dialog box appears displaying the phone number you selected, the country indicator, applicant’s name, company and any notes.




Check that the number in the field beside the phone number is correct. Make sure that the code is correct, and that the digits required for an external line have been added correctly. You cannot change this number manually here. If the number in this field is incorrect even though the phone number itself and the country indicator are correct, check your client-specific settings.

6. Choose Dial.

The phone number specified is dialled by the system.

If you are successful, the End (Hang up) function appears beside Dial and Close. You can use this function to end the call. You can end the call by replacing the receiver. You can also forward the call, put it on hold, and so on - just like any other call.

For further information on the functions available in the SAPphone dialog box, refer to the Features section of Calling an Applicant Using SAPphone .

Result

You have called an applicant directly from R/3 applicant master data maintenance.

Sending Correspondence to Applicants via Fax or E-Mail (SAPconnect) in SAP HR

Use

This function enables you to send letters to one or more applicants in the form of faxes or E-mails, using the bulk processing function, directly from the R/3 System.

Prerequisites

To use this function, you must have:

• defined SAPscript as the standard word processing option.
• specified a fax number and/or Internet address for the sender in your Private office settings.
• made the necessary system settings for SAPconnect (for example, defining the format in which the E-mail is to be sent).

For further information, refer to the Implementation Guide (IMG) (Basis Components ® Basis Services ® Communication Interfaces ® SAPconnect): Settings Across Whole Client.

• The system administrator must have configured the fax number settings in SAPconnect: Administration.

Features

• If you want to send the letter to one applicant in the form of a fax or E-mail, access applicant activity maintenance to send the document. A dialog box is displayed, listing all the fax numbers and Internet addresses of applicants stored in the system.

The system reads the infotypes Addresses (0006) and Communication (0105) to get the fax numbers.

The system reads only the Communication (0105) infotype to get the Internet address.

• If you want to send the letter to more than one applicant in the form of a fax or E-mail, use recurring tasks to send the document via bulk processing. A predefined search procedure is run in the background, determining the fax number or Internet address for each individual applicant.

The system reads the Addresses (0006) infotype to get the fax number. The system selects the first fax number created in this infotype. If an entry is not found in the Addresses infotype, the system reads the infotype Communication (0105) and selects the first fax number (if there is one).

The system reads only the Communication (0105) infotype to get the Internet address.

See also:

Faxing and E-Mailing Letters to Applicants

For more information about SAPconnect, see the R/3 Library BC Basis ® BC - SAPconnect ® Connection to external communication components.

Faxing and E-Mailing Letters to Applicants in SAP HR

Prerequisites

If you want to fax or e-mail a letter you have two options:

• If you want to send the letter to one applicant only, use applicant activity maintenance.

• If you want to send the letter to several applicants, use recurring tasks (Print letters function).

Sending a Fax or E-Mail to One Applicant

1. Choose Applicant activity
® Maintain.

The Maintain Applicant Activities screen appears.

2. In the Applicant number field, enter the desired number.
3. Choose Applicant activity
® Execute.

The Maintain Applicant Activities screen appears.

4. Select the applicant activity you want.
5. Choose Edit
® Change activity.

The Create Planned Activity dialog box appears.

6. Enter your data as required.
7. Choose Fax letter or Mail letter.

A dialog box appears displaying the fax numbers or Internet address of the applicant in question.

8. Select the fax number or Internet address you want.
9. Choose Dial, or Send.

Result

You have faxed or e-mailed a letter to an applicant directly from the R/3 System.

Sending a Fax or E-Mail to Several Applicants

1. Choose Applicant activity
® Print letters ® Execute.

The Recurring Tasks: Print Letters screen appears.

2. Enter the appropriate selection criteria.
3. Set the Fax or Internet mail flag.
4. Choose Program
® Execute.

When you run the report, a dialog box does not appear with fax numbers or an Internet address. This is because the numbers and addresses are found by a search procedure run in the background. See the Features section of Sending Correspondence to Applicants Via Fax or E-Mail (SAPconnect).

Result

You have faxed or e-mailed a letter to several applicants directly from the R/3 System.