The idea for this one is to pick your favourite Christmas carol and repurpose it for your out-of-office response. It’s festive and sure to get a laugh! (Whatever you do, just don’t pick Baby It’s Cold Outside).
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It's August, so it's the time of the year when many workers' holidays come around and the time of year when setting up an out of office automatic reply is vital to ensuring you can enjoy your summer break in peace.
A few years ago we had a team meeting, with the typical agenda provided to all by our manager. One of the items was OOO and the manager’s name and dates of her upcoming vacation–of course, to give the team advance notice that she would be out. One of my colleagues did not know the acronym and was at first confused. His read: “Ooooh, Mary is on vacation for these dates and is so excited.” Which I am sure was the case, but . . . no, not exactly. Ha ha.
If you work in an international setting, you should eventually prepare an out-of-office message in English to notify people of your absence and tell the recipient who to contact in case they need an immediate response.
My pet peeve is OOOs for the afternoon/an appointment when the person who set it up is NOT good at responding to emails in a timely fashion. If someone usually requires multiple reminders and follow up emails for me to get a reply to an email after 2 weeks, I don’t really need a notification that their responses will be delayed an hour until they get back from the doctor. It makes me think “who are you responding to that quickly, and why can’t you reply to me that fast??”
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Optionally, set a date range for your automatic replies. This will turn off automatic replies at the date and time you enter for the end time. Otherwise, you'll need to turn off automatic replies manually.
I’ll be sure to reply to your message when I wade through my inbox upon my return. If your message is time sensitive, please send an email to [contact name] at [contact email].
Optionally, click the Attach Invoice checkbox to automatically attach the customer’s invoice to the auto-response.
Not an out of office reply but a voicemail greeting: at a previous job I called someone and her voicemail greeting said that she would be out of the office from Day – Day and that her voicemail wasn’t accepting messages during that time, click! The time in question was six months prior. Plenty of people she worked with and for could have called her on it and apparently had not, so she just … didn’t get voicemails. Like, that was not a way you could communicate with her.
Hello, I’m out of the office until [DATE]. However, I will be taking periodic breaks from binge-watching everything I’ve missed to check my email [once per day/every evening/occasionally] while I’m away. If this matter isn’t time-sensitive, rest assured that I’ll respond when I’m back in the office. But, if this is an urgent request, please resend any messages that require my immediate attention with a subject line of “URGENT: [Original Subject]”. All the best.
Website: https://www.wordexceltemplates.com/office-closed-for-holidays-email-template/
The worst one I ever received was from a coworker (senior to me, but not my manager) many years ago. I’ll paraphrase it as my memory isn’t great:
It’s that time of the year again and you are all set to kick back and enjoy the holiday season. The season to be jolly is just about to begin and you can hardly wait to spend some quality time with your near and dear ones. Bet you can already smell the Thanksgiving turkey and hear the kids singing Christmas carols outside your window, can’t you? All this excitement means you’ll probably end up applying for leaves from work pretty soon or that your company will shut down for the holidays. Either way, feel free to pick up any of the below out-of-office messages to let the people know that you are on a hiatus. Bare Bones A basic out-of-office message should be able to convey three things, namely, the exact dates when you will be unavailable, an alternative contact to reach out to for immediate attention and lastly, when you will be back at your desk to resume business as usual. Hello, Thank you for your email. I’m currently on leave from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY with limited access to emails. For any urgent matters, you can write to [email protected] or wait till I’m back on DD/MM/YYYY for my response. Best, Something Extra Given that the holiday season is a time when people like to splurge, you may want to add a bit about having a sale or product discounts in the body of the mail. This way you can quickly engage with customers and offer them something in return for the inconvenience caused. Dear Sir/Madam, Thank you for your email. I’m off on vacation from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. You can expect a prompt reply when I’m back to duty on DD/MM/YYYY. If your query needs immediate attention, you can write to [email protected]. By the way, if you’re looking for a great gift this holiday season, check out our online store(www.yourbusiness.com/offer) for the latest offers. Cheers, Holiday Traffic As a business, every brand out there is going to be doing something different to ring in the holiday season. It might be a new landing page filled with offers or a blog post about what to get kids for Christmas without disappointing them. Whatever may be the case, an out-of-office message is a good cue to redirect some of that busy traffic, out of your inbox and onto your website. Hi there! You’ve caught me at the wrong time. I’m out-of-office from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. Right now, I’m somewhere on a boat, fishing with my family. I won’t be able to reply to your email till I’m back on DD/MM/YYYY. For emergencies, you can reach out to [email protected]. Meanwhile, you can take a look at www.yourbusiness.com/blog for intriguing articles that may pique your interest. Warm regards, Meet and Greet The Holiday season doesn’t always mean you’re out on vacation. If you’re among the people who work really hard, even during the holiday season, chances are you might be attending a conference or a business meeting out of town. In such cases, you can include the details of the event you’re attending in the autoresponder email and turn it into a networking opportunity. Hey, Bad news is that I’m currently out-of-office from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. I have limited access to emails and will get back to you by DD/MM/YYYY. Good news is that I’m on my way to attend ‘Event Name’. If you happen to be at the same conference, be sure to visit me at Exhibit # for a quick catch up. Thanks and regards, Product Preview Every customer interaction can become a sales opportunity. Believe it or not, it can be true for situations when you’re not at your desk as well. Along with the out-of-office message, you can add two lines about a standout feature or benefit of your product that will immediately catch the eye of your audience. Hello, Looks like you just missed me. I’m out-of-office from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY on a camping trip with my buddies. Hopefully, I’ll be back by DD/MM/YYYY and will reply to your email then. For any urgent issues, you can write to [email protected]. Did you email me about ? If you did, you can find out all about it here – www.yourbusiness.com/product. Pro tip? It can increase your revenue by 3x and help you manage your team better at the same time. Regards, Social Butterfly Social media is bursting at the seams with posts that celebrate the holiday season. If your business has an active social channel that generates great content, then you should make a mention of it in the out-of-office message. This way you’ll gain more followers on social media and your customers can be delighted with warm wishes. It’s a win-win! Hi there, This is an automated message. I’m currently unavailable at work from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. If your query can wait, I’ll be back on DD/MM/YYYY and would be glad to take this conversation further. If not, you can reach out to me colleague at [email protected]. Don’t let my absence stop you from getting what you want. Stay on top of our latest promotions by following us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. Use #YourBusiness and get a chance to be featured on our social media pages. Best, Sense of Holiday A good sense of humor never goes out of fashion. A hilarious autoresponder email can break the monotony and put a smile on your customer’s face. You can reference a popular TV series or legends like Batman to drive the point home. After all, who doesn’t like a Batman reference? Hey there, Oops, you’ve reached me at an inconvenient time. I’m off duty from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY and will be able to respond to your email when I’m back on DD/MM/YYYY. If your request is urgent, you can reach out to my partner in crime at [email protected]. Believe me, she’s like Batgirl to my Bruce Wayne at the office. Warm regards, Ode of Office Traditional out-of-office messages are so 2018. 2019 is all about entertaining your customers and adding value to each interaction. A ballad or an ode can be an excellent addition to an out-of-office message. You can surprise your email senders and make a memorable impact even while you’re away from work. Hello, Many Thanks, Packed with Emojis New Age tech is all about how you make someone feel. With that said, plain text notes can be a drag to read. Consider the use of emojis to amp up your EQ and create a unique impression with your out-of-office message. Hi, Shucks, you’re out of luck. I’m out-of-office on a (family emoji) excursion from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. I have limited access to (email emoji) and will be able to reply to you when I’m back on DD/MM/YYYY. For a (rocket emoji) response, you can write to [email protected]. Regards, Mamma Mia Working mums are the Wonder Women of enterprises. You can insert a sweet statement into your out-of-office message announcing your maternity leave to let the people catch wind of your pregnancy. This way, people reaching out to you will be thrilled to see you back in office for a whole other reason. Dear Sir/Madam, I’m out-of-office on maternity leave from DD/MM/YYYY to DD/MM/YYYY. The stork is on its way with my little angel and I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world. I’ll probably be back by DD/MM/YYYY and will be able to write back to you then. If you can’t wait that long, you can write to [email protected] for a faster response.
Personally, I’d think it’s funny to receive an OOO like was in the video, at least the first time. It wouldn’t fly AT ALL at my company, but it’s at least interesting. All I really want to see is how long you’re out, and who I need to contact instead.
Email From Secretary Perez: On Labor Day | whitehouse.gov. More general requests can be emailed to. Out of office message examples. If your message is time sensitive, use urgent in your subject line so i know to reply by the end of the business day. Festive out of office holiday messages provide you with a creative approach to tailor your automated email message to a specific holiday.