Thanks for your message! I am brushing up on my social networking savvy and analytics knowledge at a digital media conference in Vancouver from May 1-6. I will have limited email access, so if you need immediate assistance, please reach out to our marketing assistant, Kennedy Tran, at [email protected] or 555-432-6100. In the meantime, if you need access to our media kit, you can find it here.
Ok! That’s it for today. If you read this newsletter and value it, consider going to the paid version, and come hang out with us on Sidechannel, the Discord you’ll get access to if you switch over to paid.
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If you need immediate assistance before then, you may reach me on my mobile – (Mobile Number).
I will be out of the office starting on (beginning date) and ending on (ending date).
Out of office emails should be short, succinct, and to the point – and should never include more information than is needed.
So, for whatever reason you’re out of the office, your email inbox should be informative with any information about office closures or unexpected absences: Include an expected return date and time. Offer alternative point of contact and their details. Add the general office contact number and email address if you don’t have a specific point of contact. Be friendly and warm in your tone, even if you choose to keep it simple.
As a “don’t try this at home” anecdote, last week we had an all staff retreat, and we were asked to put up away messages. I put a perfectly professional one up for outside email, but in a fit of whimsy, the internal mail triggered an away message that said “Why are you emailing? We are supposed to be paying attention to the retreat!” I figured, we were all at the retreat, so nobody would ever know. Of course, someone did email me 30 minutes before everything started, and triggered the message. Fortunately, he figured out it was an away message and thought it was funny.
Yeah I think it’s fine if someone is out for a long period of time. It’s simply too much of an endeavor to find the few relevant emails out of thousands. But for a week or two, I’m sorry but you have to manage your inbox. I know, it sucks. We all get too many dumb emails.
I will be out of the office from May 1-6. I will be checking email periodically, but for urgent assistance please contact Pat Rivera at [email protected] or 555-432-6100. In case of emergency, you can reach me on my cell at 555-789-6100
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! 😉
I actually hate that feature – I LOVE manually updating it myself but I know most of my coworkers benefit from having it that way.
Not every vacation you take is going to leave you completely unreachable. For those days when you’re out of the office but are still checking and responding to email or phone calls, make sure your message explicitly states that people will still be able to reach you, and how:
Hi, Thank you for your email! I am on vacation until [MM/DD]. Vacations are not for checking email, so I won’t be doing that. During my absence, please contact [name] at [email] or [phone] because she’s checking email. Not me. Really, I’m not checking email.
In the top right corner, click the cog icon to open Outlook settings, then click “View all Outlook Settings.”
If you still need to reach me, you can email [email protected]. Or you can email my assistant at [email protected]. They can point you in the right direction.
Thank you for your email. I am no longer with [company name]. Please direct enquiries to [insert name and email] or [insert name and email].
Here, we’ll go over what’s required in an out-of-office email responder or email greeting, as well as a few ways you can jazz up your out-of-office message (and potentially making your colleagues wish they thought this up first!)