Using the AGD Web Tools to Create a Professional Digital Signature By Stephen Akseizer, DDS, MAGD Like a written signature at the end of a document, a digital signature at the end of an e- mail message can help to present you in both a professional and personal manner. These digital signatures can contain information about your practice or personal contact information and can be set up to be inserted automatically at the end of all of your e- mail messages. The AGD Web tools (available to members through the AGD Web site) provide an opportunity to create a professional and functional digital signature. This article will demonstrate how to create a digital signature for professional use and one for patient correspondence. A digital signature can include: Your name Your professional title and degrees Your picture Your office contact information Your Web site address A map to your office Hyperlinks to your Web site or other Web sites Step 1: Member Login To use these tools, go to the AGD Web site (www.agd.org) and log in as a member. If you need help with your login, go to the help page (http://www.agd.org/members_only/login/help.asp). Copy the AGD member logo image (http://www.agd.org/images/logo/agdprimarymem.gif) into your Web site browser s window and save it to your desktop. Name the file AGD logo and save it as a BMP image type.
For a set of tools available for your digital signature or Web site, go to the AGD Web site and click the Practice Management menu tab on the top horizontal menu bar. Select the KnowYourTeeth.com Toolkit under Promotional Tools. For this exercise, click on the icon. Download the logo (.png file) and save it to your desktop as a JPG image. For the file name, type KYT logo.jpg and click Save. There should now be two images on your desktop, the AGD logo and the KYT logo. Step 2: Create a Signature (for Professional Correspondence) This procedure was created for Microsoft Outlook 2007, but the routine is similar for most e-mail programs, including Outlook Express and Outlook 2003. Open Microsoft Outlook. At the top left-hand corner, click on New to open a new e-mail message. Click on the Message tab. Next, in the Include group, click Signature, then click Signatures. On the E-mail Signature tab, click New. Name the signature AGD Professional Signature, then click OK.
In the New signature box, type the contact information that you want to include in your signature. To format the text, select the text, then use the style and formatting buttons to select the options that you want. To add the AGD logo created in Step 1 to your signature, click the Picture button, then click Desktop. Select the AGD logo and click Insert. (Note: Pictures and graphics cannot be resized in the signature creation box.) Once you finish creating your signature, click OK.
Step 3: KYT Logo (for Patient Correspondence) Use the same techniques outlined in Step 2 to create a Professional Patient Signature with the KYT logo, which you saved in Step 1. Open a new Word document. In the menu at the top, select Insert and click on Picture. From the desktop, select the KYT logo and click Insert. You can resize your image by adjusting the borders. Type address information into the Word document. Use the Table tool to help align text and images. Save this Word document to your desktop. Once you have created an image similar to the one below, you can insert hyperlinks.
Open a Web browser and go to the www.knowyourteeth.com Web site. Copy the URL address by highlighting it, right clicking your mouse, and selecting Copy from the dropdown menu. Return to the Word document. Select the KYT logo and right click, then press the Hyperlink button in the dropdown menu. Paste the Know Your Teeth Web address in the address box and press OK. Repeat the same process using the www.mapquest.com address for the Directions to Our Office element.
To copy the text and image created in the Word document, select the entire document by pressing the <CTRL> and <A> keys, then right click anywhere in the document and select Copy from the dropdown menu. Open a new e-mail message in Microsoft Outlook by clicking on New. In the Message tab, in the Include group, click Signature, then click Signatures. Select New and enter AGD Patient Signature in the title bar. In the empty Signature Creator box, paste (by pressing the <CTRL> <V> keys) the information captured from the Word document. Click on OK. It is now time to test this signature. Open a new e-mail message in Outlook and press the Message tab. In the Include group, click the Signature tab and select the AGD Patient Signature.
When you move your mouse over the area containing the hyperlink, the link with instructions will open and allow the user to access data directly from the e-mail. Send an e-mail to yourself, so you can see exactly what your colleagues and patients will be receiving. Follow the steps above if you need to make any changes. Remember: Digital signatures provide an excellent opportunity to promote your professional image and your practice. This article has been designed to introduce members to tools that will allow them to use their artistic and creative skills.