While you’re writing and activating your out-of-office message, sidestep these pitfalls:
This particular message is too freakin long and it makes me watch it, too. Har har, thanks for wasting my time.
.
I guess I generally dislike ones where the person is actually around but just might take longer than usual to answer emails (except in public-facing inboxes, etc.) I understand that if I’m using email, you might not respond right away.
Courses Effective Business Writing Non-Native Business Writing Proposal Writing Sales Writing Technical Report Writing Email Writing for Business Executive Summary Writing Proofreading and Grammar Customer Service Writing Advanced Business Writing For Groups Coaching About Client List Testimonials Case Studies ROI Calculator Instructors Founder Mary Cullen Resources Blog Jargon Grader Client-Only Resources Contact
While I am out of the office, here’s our awesome e-book on “How To Choose The Right CRM For Your Business”. It’s free; enjoy it!
I also tend to check my email 2-3x per day while I’m out for my own sanity and will respond to important* ones if not doing so would hold something big* up. Not using OOO avoids some of the self-righteous nonsense from people with nothing better to do than try to micromanage my personal time.
Find out why you can book with confidence. On the Beach Limited is an Accredited Body Member of On the Beach Travel Ltd (ATOL number 11549). Some of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holidays and travel services listed on this website.
I’m here to talk to you about someone you know. Catalina Wong is out of office until September 27. She wanted me to let you know that she’ll get back to you after her return.
So now this email is working overtime with the flood of enquiries, spam, well-wishes, and broken hearts.
Companies HomeEnergyFinancialsHealthIndustrialsMediaProfessional ServicesRetail & ConsumerTech SectorTelecomsTransport
But perhaps we have it all wrong, and are simply enslaving ourselves further to technology by toiling over OOOs that are personality-packed, marketing-friendly perfection. Maybe we need to be altogether more standoffish if we want to make our OOOs really work for us? NYU Professor Meredith Broussard, who’s the author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World, takes the inspiration for her OOO from US writer, poet and children’s author E.B. White, who once turned down an invitation from President Eisenhower with the words “I must decline, for secret reasons”. Accordingly, Broussard’s OOO reads simply: “I am out of the office, for secret reasons.”
Not being in the office doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t develop your brand’s reputation. To do this, offer a link to some reviews about your product. In doing this, you drive traffic to your website and leave a good impression of your company… providing the reviews are positive. Here’s an example of this method:
Get everything you need to engage with customers automatically. Sign up for a free trial today and get 14 days of access to all of our features.
Thanks so much for your note! I’ve packed away my makeshift office for the week in order to go nowhere and do nothing. I may be dipping my toes in the tub instead of the ocean and making my favorite Smitten Kitchen recipes for myself rather than indulging at a fancy restaurant, but I’m still trying to disconnect and recharge.
I work for a hospital, in a role unrelated to patient care. My first out of the office message was just my name and department. After a series of increasingly plaintive messages one evening, I added, “If you are calling about patient care, you have the wrong number.”
An old boss had a pet peeve about this so I became very conscious of making sure that I listed out who to contact on what day… before the group email. So it looked something like this:
Fed official warns of ‘extreme’ market reaction unless debt ceiling raisedUK fuel crisis threatens to hit health services and industryMerkel’s natural heir: how Olaf Scholz won Germany’s electionNo 10 plans to lower salary level at which graduates start repaying loansUK government to take control of Southeastern rail franchise