Hi, I’m out of the office until [MM/DD] with limited access to email. But don’t worry! I’ve left you with some helpful article to read and share in the meantime. I look forward to connecting with you when I return.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in February 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. Try This Effective Prospecting Voicemail Script [Tips Included] Sales | 12 min read
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We’ve certainly come a long way since the honeymoon days of You’ve Got Mail, the 1998 Meg Ryan romcom in which each new electronic missive set Tom Hanks’ heart fluttering (and vice versa). These days, in tech circles, you’ll hear tales of folk who’ve set their email servers up to automatically delete unread emails after a week – before going on holiday for a full fortnight. Others have reduced the OOO to a single word in the subject line: “Nope.”
Oh shoot. You need something and I’m unavailable today. Here’s the good news: you have options.
You may not think it, but an auto-attendant is an important part of your business. It is typically the first point of contact with your customers, as they will call your main number with sales inquiries, troubleshooting questions, etc.
Please accept our apology for the inconvenience this may cause. We are thankful for your understanding.
Plus, he incorporated a delightful technique to let people know that if they really wanted him to read their emails, they should probably send them again after his return. Not only does that keep the sender accountable by saying, "If this is really important, you know when to reach me," but it also helps him truly vacate his work while he's away. And that's hard to do.
I’ll reply to your message promptly, after I delete the dozen email newsletters about losing weight. If your question or request is not time sensitive, wonderful! If you require immediate assistance, please send contact to [insert name] at [contact email].
Thank you for your email. I’m out of the office for the holidays and will be back on [date]. During this period I will have limited access to my email. If you need to contact me, I can be reached on [number, another email, mailing address], otherwise, I will respond to your email on my return.
If those weren’t bad enough, if anyone on that lists sets up an out-of-office message, it *automatically* replies all. If the email bounces back, it bounces back reply all. One guy left the company and his email had a permanent out-of-office auto reply. The list was quite busy for a month or so and the message popped up multiple times a day.
I’d then check off all that applied—people would laugh each time they saw it bc I’m such a predictable nerd, one or both of the first two lines was almost always checked off…and usually both!
I followed all the steps listed and can’t make this work for my iPhone 6s. Any suggestions?
I had a boss who was mad if I put his full name on my OOO. I was his deputy. He said people should know how to contact him if I just use his first name. He thought the public would get his info (public-facing office but we didn’t correspond with the public at our level, of course). It made me feel very very silly to comply.
Setting Up a Holiday Schedule Log in to 8x8 Admin Console. Click Auto Attendants. Create a new Auto Attendant profile or click Edit (pencil icon) to the right of the Auto Attendant you wish to edit. Go to Business hours and select Create new schedule. Enter the Date and the Name of the holiday. If your business will remain Open, click Add business hours. Enter the Date and the Name. Select Status. Enter the hours of operation. You can create a custom greeting for your Holiday Open Hours Menu or Holiday Closed Hours Menu. Also, you can skip the Auto Attendant greeting by clicking Skip Playing Prompt in the Holiday Open Hours or Holiday Closed Hours menus. This can be used to route callers directly to your voicemail or another number. Log in to 8x8 Admin Console. Click Auto Attendants. Click Edit (pencil icon) to the right of the Auto Attendant you wish to edit. Go to the Call Handling Menus section and select the Holiday Open Hours Menu or Holiday Closed Hours Menu. Note: You need to select a Site for your Auto Attendant before you can view the Call Handling Menus. Select Play Audio. Click Select File. Select Call a phone number to record. Enter the Name and the Phone Number or Extension you wish to record your initial greeting on. Click Call Now and follow the instructions. Click Save.
Yes absolutely! I would be really annoyed if someone did that. I would probably have to set a reminder for myself to resend that email (or emails), which is more work for me. If I’m sending the email to several people, I’d also have to ask myself if I should resend it to everyone to follow up, or maybe just wait to send it. This would stress me out that something might slip through the cracks.
Download good wishes messages for a friend who is going away : – “One of your greatest dreams was always traveling and now you can make it happen. I can only say I wish you all the best and that everything goes as you expect.
Yeah this sort of chain is why we got an out of office address for each department. It went to the managers who were never all off at the same time.