Your out-of-office message needs to set expectations around communication. First, provide information about when you’ll return. Misner suggests giving yourself an extra date to catch up.
Thank you for your email. I will be out of the office from (day/month) to (day/month) and will have limited access to email. If you have any urgent questions, please contact [Name] at [email] or [phone]. I will do my best to reply to your email as soon as I can.
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The best way to spread Holiday cheer, is screaming “Out of the Office” for all to hear…
Every November without fail, when I take a week off for deer season, I start my OOO with “GONE HUNTIN’!”
You can configure automated reply messages to encourage customers to submit their queries.
It is not appropriate to say in the message that you will get back on the day you return from your vacation. You may have a lot of work to take care of on your first day after getting back; you don’t want to promise something you won’t be able to fulfil.
COVID-19 Floating Holidays — Three new COVID-19 floating holidays have been granted to all full-time staff members who are eligible for floating holidays and who are employed as of the effective date of November 23, 2020 and all part-time exempt and non-exempt benefits eligible staff employed as of the same date. These additional days are available for use from November 23, 2020 through December 31, 2021.
I think it’s brilliant. Anyone emailing an animal shelter should appreciate a cute animal pic.
Finally, if leaving a private mobile phone feels like revealing too much, you can instruct your customers to contact you via email with the “URGENT” referenced in its subject:
Setting up out of office messages removes the guesswork done by customers when a response doesn’t come back right away.
The OOO: was there ever a less apt acronym? (Ooo? Ugh, more like.) It wouldn’t be so bad if it actually worked when it was your turn to set one up, but unless you happen to live in France, where a worker’s ‘right to disconnect’ is enshrined in law, the twin fears of missed opportunities and the mail mountain that’s piling up in your absence will likely keep you furtively glancing at your in-box.
In my world, “please contact $Manager” is recognition of a staffing level problem. $Manager will have to decide what project to defer if a crisis comes up while someone is OOO.
Not an OOO issue but the comment about PTSD from OldJob reminded me of this. I am a recreational sailor who often made longer offshore trips as my vacation. OldBoss INSISTED that we provide contact instructions. Mine was some variant of “Dial O and ask for the Marine Operator. Give them [name of boat], [call sign] and [approximate location by date] along with your name and credit card number. We will be monitoring Channel 16 at these times…..” Never got a call. Word spread and there was a sudden epidemic of sailing vacations in my office!
We also had to reply to any emails we received within 4 hours. Even if we didn’t have an answer.
A. Yes; however, Rocket Wireless will have very limited hours during winter break, with no in-person hours. Please call Rocket Wireless at 419.530.4807 or send an email; responses will be made only during half of the day (or two) after Christmas Day.
I emailed this person 3 times and never got a response. Thankfully they weren’t upset when we moved forward without their input.
12. "Hi, you've reached [company]. We're available by phone from [hour] to [hour] [time zone] Monday through Friday [optional: and from hour to hour on the weekends]. You can also contact us by going to our website, [URL], and live-chatting or emailing us. If you'd like us to call you back, please leave your name and number after the tone."