An ex-Apple PR, Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple. Recent stories by Karen Haslam: How to delete cache on a Mac How to update iOS on your iPhone Apple releases important security updates to stop spyware About Macworld Contact Site Map Information for Advertisers Licensing & Eprints Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Cookies Follow Macworld on Twitter Follow Macworld on Facebook
If you're anything like I am, you probably fall into team two. That doesn't leave a lot of time to get creative. But if you plan ahead, you might be able to craft some hilarity.
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5. Internal out of office reply template. An internal reply can use slightly more informal language but should not be too casual. Remember that any employee, including management, will be able to see this auto response if they email you.
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Dear [Customer name] Our store will be closed from [date] to [date] for Thanksgiving. We are assure you all of your emails will be answered once we are back on [date]. Kind regards, [Name/signature]
If your request is urgent, there’s no use sitting idly in my inbox. So, please send your request to [contact name] at [contact email].
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It’s that time of the year again and you are all set to kick back and enjoy the holiday season. The season to be jolly is just about to begin and you can hardly wait to spend some quality time with your near and dear ones. Bet you can already smell the Thanksgiving turkey and hear the kids singing Christmas carols outside your window, can’t you? All this excitement means you’ll probably end up applying for leaves from work pretty soon or that your company will shut down for the holidays. Either way, feel free to pick up any of the below out-of-office messages to let the people know that you are on a hiatus. Bare Bones A basic out-of-office message should be able to convey three things, namely, the exact dates when you will be unavailable, an alternative contact to reach out to for immediate attention and lastly, when you will be back at your desk to resume business as usual. Hello, Thank you for your email. I’m currently on leave from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY with limited access to emails. For any urgent matters, you can write to [email protected] or wait till I’m back on DD/MM/YYYY for my response. Best, Something Extra Given that the holiday season is a time when people like to splurge, you may want to add a bit about having a sale or product discounts in the body of the mail. This way you can quickly engage with customers and offer them something in return for the inconvenience caused. Dear Sir/Madam, Thank you for your email. I’m off on vacation from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. You can expect a prompt reply when I’m back to duty on DD/MM/YYYY. If your query needs immediate attention, you can write to [email protected]. By the way, if you’re looking for a great gift this holiday season, check out our online store(www.yourbusiness.com/offer) for the latest offers. Cheers, Holiday Traffic As a business, every brand out there is going to be doing something different to ring in the holiday season. It might be a new landing page filled with offers or a blog post about what to get kids for Christmas without disappointing them. Whatever may be the case, an out-of-office message is a good cue to redirect some of that busy traffic, out of your inbox and onto your website. Hi there! You’ve caught me at the wrong time. I’m out-of-office from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. Right now, I’m somewhere on a boat, fishing with my family. I won’t be able to reply to your email till I’m back on DD/MM/YYYY. For emergencies, you can reach out to [email protected]. Meanwhile, you can take a look at www.yourbusiness.com/blog for intriguing articles that may pique your interest. Warm regards, Meet and Greet The Holiday season doesn’t always mean you’re out on vacation. If you’re among the people who work really hard, even during the holiday season, chances are you might be attending a conference or a business meeting out of town. In such cases, you can include the details of the event you’re attending in the autoresponder email and turn it into a networking opportunity. Hey, Bad news is that I’m currently out-of-office from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. I have limited access to emails and will get back to you by DD/MM/YYYY. Good news is that I’m on my way to attend ‘Event Name’. If you happen to be at the same conference, be sure to visit me at Exhibit # for a quick catch up. Thanks and regards, Product Preview Every customer interaction can become a sales opportunity. Believe it or not, it can be true for situations when you’re not at your desk as well. Along with the out-of-office message, you can add two lines about a standout feature or benefit of your product that will immediately catch the eye of your audience. Hello, Looks like you just missed me. I’m out-of-office from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY on a camping trip with my buddies. Hopefully, I’ll be back by DD/MM/YYYY and will reply to your email then. For any urgent issues, you can write to [email protected]. Did you email me about ? If you did, you can find out all about it here – www.yourbusiness.com/product. Pro tip? It can increase your revenue by 3x and help you manage your team better at the same time. Regards, Social Butterfly Social media is bursting at the seams with posts that celebrate the holiday season. If your business has an active social channel that generates great content, then you should make a mention of it in the out-of-office message. This way you’ll gain more followers on social media and your customers can be delighted with warm wishes. It’s a win-win! Hi there, This is an automated message. I’m currently unavailable at work from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. If your query can wait, I’ll be back on DD/MM/YYYY and would be glad to take this conversation further. If not, you can reach out to me colleague at [email protected]. Don’t let my absence stop you from getting what you want. Stay on top of our latest promotions by following us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. Use #YourBusiness and get a chance to be featured on our social media pages. Best, Sense of Holiday A good sense of humor never goes out of fashion. A hilarious autoresponder email can break the monotony and put a smile on your customer’s face. You can reference a popular TV series or legends like Batman to drive the point home. After all, who doesn’t like a Batman reference? Hey there, Oops, you’ve reached me at an inconvenient time. I’m off duty from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY and will be able to respond to your email when I’m back on DD/MM/YYYY. If your request is urgent, you can reach out to my partner in crime at [email protected]. Believe me, she’s like Batgirl to my Bruce Wayne at the office. Warm regards, Ode of Office Traditional out-of-office messages are so 2018. 2019 is all about entertaining your customers and adding value to each interaction. A ballad or an ode can be an excellent addition to an out-of-office message. You can surprise your email senders and make a memorable impact even while you’re away from work. Hello, Many Thanks, Packed with Emojis New Age tech is all about how you make someone feel. With that said, plain text notes can be a drag to read. Consider the use of emojis to amp up your EQ and create a unique impression with your out-of-office message. Hi, Shucks, you’re out of luck. I’m out-of-office on a (family emoji) excursion from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. I have limited access to (email emoji) and will be able to reply to you when I’m back on DD/MM/YYYY. For a (rocket emoji) response, you can write to [email protected]. Regards, Mamma Mia Working mums are the Wonder Women of enterprises. You can insert a sweet statement into your out-of-office message announcing your maternity leave to let the people catch wind of your pregnancy. This way, people reaching out to you will be thrilled to see you back in office for a whole other reason. Dear Sir/Madam, I’m out-of-office on maternity leave from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. The stork is on its way with my little angel and I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world. I’ll probably be back by DD/MM/YYYY and will be able to write back to you then. If you can’t wait that long, you can write to [email protected] for a faster response.
Something about it gets my goat up! Like she’s working and emailing me about things she wants me to work on, but her OOO is telling me to buzz off coz she’s too busy to get to my emails. Also she still has it set up and we’ve been in lockdown for over a week. How long does she intend to have her OOO triaging everything and making excuses for delays? We all know there’s a lockdown, that’s why everyone is scrambling for their events to be rescheduled – it just comes across as very self-important at a time where everyone is under stress. No one else in the organisation has this so it seems very bizarre to have an OOO while still working!
One of your European connections here. When I know the person covering me will also be away for part of the time I’m gone, I get another colleague to cover for those dates and put that in my OOO. Saying “Your e-mail will not be read” or similar is really off-putting. The youth worker at my church does this and I find it infuriating. Of course it won’t. That’s the point of a holiday. When I get an answer from someone who reads his e-mails on vacation I’m pleasantly surprised.
Long Vacation Message. If you’re going to be on vacation for a week or two, then it’s essential you set up your vacation email. If you miss the odd day, the world won’t implode, but if people don’t know you’re away for a few weeks and they don’t know exactly when you’ll be back, or who they can contact in your place, you’re going to have some unhappy clients or customers.
Apologies, but I’m currently knee-deep in sushi and shrines on the other side of the world in Japan. I will be back to the usual tea and crumpets when I return to the office on Tuesday 30th May.
It’s a reminder to you that you should be disconnecting, Smith says, whether it’s to recharge during your staycation or to focus on a family emergency. And it can give you peace of mind to know you’ve communicated what’s needed for things to continue running smoothly in your absence.
You must pay close attention to signs of negative language or tendencies to sound monotonous. Instead, you can use simple, everyday vocabulary to convey your message.
I’d just stick with “I will be OOO without access to phone or email from XX/YY to XX/YY, returning on XX/YY.” And then whatever directions for directing to your support/backup while you are out. I find that specifically saying ‘without access to phone or email’ sets a good expectation of non-response.
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