I remember a phone tree that at the end of the normal boring options there was “To hear a duck press 8”
Half of the auto-replies I get are for very specific chunks of time. Like, if you are out of the office for three hours I don’t need to know, dude.
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I work in a culture where even when you say you won’t have access to email, you are expected to be checking. I include this only on the internal auto-response, so that the people in my company know that when I say I won’t have access to email (which is also explained in the email), I mean it. Nothing else seems to work.
Read: Office Closed For Holiday Message Template. Holiday Out Of Office Message. Thanks for your email. I will be out of the office on holiday from [date] to [date]. If you require any urgent assistance while I am away, kindly contact [name] at [email] or [phone number] for questions regarding marketing and [name] at [email] or [phone number
Think about your tone and mood - you don't know who'll be getting these out of office auto reply emails so be mindful of the impression you make. Think of the boss, the CEO, a colleague you like, family members, clients you like. That said, there are some bridge-burner examples below to tempt you!
Creativity is thinking outside the inbox when it comes to email marketing, and this email took it way too seriously, for good. Instead of assigning a task to the receiver, this auto-reply asks the sender to complete a survey on which is the best flick from the Die Hard franchise. Any Bruce Wills fan here? Let us know your choice in the comments!
So, professionals are expected to use out-of-office email autoresponders whenever they will be out of reach for a fairly long time.
Perhaps I’m you guys’ worst nightmare, but for the past couple of years I’ve been writing haikus for my OOO, which give a flavour of what I’m out doing. A couple of examples:
Full of helpful email management tips and tricks, client success, new features, savings, and more. Clean up your inbox today! User Stories Productivity Giants Entrepreneurship Business Health Inspiration Email Reinvented Clean your inbox How it works Pricing Email Resources Inbox Zero Academy Inbox Zero Webinar Research Clean Your Inbox Menu Open a search form in a modal window
I have a colleague who usually does different ones for internal and external: internal will be “I’m currently in the pouring rain in a tent in the Cotswolds. I get back (hopefully without trenchfoot!) on Monday Date. Whilst I’m getting soggy please contact Email Address.” and external is just “I’m on annual leave between X and Y and will not be accessing my email. Please contact Email Address if you need assistance during this time.” We all really like their internal ones.
“Ahoy landlubbers, Dr Pirate [Myname] is back again to get her second eye done.
List the full name, phone number and email of an assistant or a coworker who can respond to messages and meet deadlines in your absence. If more than one person is handling your duties, list each one and the reason for contacting them. In some cases, you may consider providing a way to reach you in case of an emergency.
Because I used to get phone calls that defaulted to, “I need the director”, I had my out of office mail set to:
Business Emails Basic Guidelines & Tips Professional E-mail Responses Business Phone Calls HR & Job Marketing Business Marketing Business Blogging Social Marketing Customer Service Ask Woculus Basic Guidelines & Tips Email Replies: 5 Best Hacks on how to Start Getting Them Every Time
I find it rude because if I emailed them, it might be an FYI but requiring no action. If they just delete it, they might then be confused about project status later. I would be annoyed to have to re-send a message after the fact because they don’t think ANY email during their time off has value.
If you are seeing this message, it is because I’m retired and having the time of my life. I may be out gardening, or fishing, or on a well-earned Caribbean cruise with my wife. Something you can look forward to when you’ve reached my status and vintage.
So there you have it! While having fun with your auto-responder, try not to get carried away and end up upsetting anyone or get in trouble with HR! 😉