My department still doesn’t allow us to send OOO auto-replies to external recipients because of one incident years ago (a customer tried to contact a sales rep about an urgent order, got the rep’s auto-reply, and in their ensuing panic, somehow got escalated all the way up to the company president). Any external emails we get are auto-forwarded to a centralized mailbox and (ostensibly) handled by another rep while we are out. It bothers me to know that my external contacts won’t get a reponse from me while I’m out and may think I’m just ignoring them.
Chances are, you’re taking at least one day off in the coming week. Here’s how, and why, to produce an out-of-office reply that will delight the people emailing you. “Thanks for your message. I’m out of the office for the holidays from Dec. 24-Jan. 2. I’ll respond to your message as soon as I can upon my return. If your message is urgent, please contact (INSERT NAME HERE). It’s benign, and it’s safe. For many people, the example above adheres to “corporate guidelines.” In fact, some companies have templates for out-of-office replies. If you don’t have to adhere to corporate guidelines (strictly), please consider a little creativity with your message. Here’s why: To read the full story, log in. Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content. Sign up today Already a member? Log in here. Learn more about Ragan Insider. Terms of Use | Today's Headlines I accept Terms of Use Topics Social Media Media Relations Crisis Communications Marketing Writing & Editing Health Care What We Do Awards Consulting Custom Workshops Events Host an event Speak at an event Sponsorship White Papers Guidebooks Memberships Ragan Insider Ragan Training Communications Leadership Council Social Media Council Crisis Leadership Network Web Sites Ragan Communications Communications Week Ragan's Workplace Wellness Podcasts About Us About PR Daily Contact Us Receive our newsletter Crisis Comms Briefing FAQ Privacy Policy Site Map Store Follow Us Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram RSS YouTube Forgot your password? Log In Submit Send recovery email Forgot to set up an account? Set it up now. Having trouble? Contact [email protected] or 1-800-878-5331 Trouble logging in? Contact [email protected] or 1-800-878-5331 Login × LOG IN Forgot to set up an account? Set it up now. Trouble logging in? Contact [email protected] or 1-800-878-5331 Create Account × Having trouble? Contact [email protected] or 1-800-878-5331 Setup Password × Having trouble? Contact [email protected] or 1-800-878-5331
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If you can’t wait for a response, my colleague will be happy to take care of you. Just email them at [email protected]. 8. "I am currently out of the office and probably chilling on the beach. Enjoy your work week."
Thanks for your note! I’ll be OOO from [date] to [date] and will not have access to email during that time. If this is an urgent matter, please contact [Contact Name] at [contact email].
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A) Trying not to roll my eyes at this year’s new batch of corny holiday movies (which all seem to follow the same plot)
In your case it’s actually related to your work! WHOMST would not like a cute pet picture, what a bonus?!
“I am out of the office until X date. Your email has been deleted unread. If it is still important, please resend it after my return.”
Work-Life Balance6 Out-of-Office Templates for the Holidays That You Can Copy and Paste Now
Dear all, I am out of the office until 4, February. If you need immediate assistance please send me a message on my cell phone: +111 1111. Otherwise, I will respond to your emails as soon as possible. Thanks, (YOUR NAME)
I have a coworker that purposely leaves them on the first day that she’s back in the office (even though it said she would be back today) because she thinks it signals that she’s still unavailable (while she needs some time to catch up.) I think it’s a bit confusing. I personally would feel weird doing it because it seems like I just never came back from vacation.
Luckily for you, my colleague *Name* generously offered to cover for me. You can reach him/her at *email*.
Apologies, but I am currently knee deep in sushi and shrines on the other side of the world in Japan. I will be back to the usual tea and crumpets when I return to the office on [DAY OF WEEK], [DATE]. If you have an urgent query about [BUSINESS] before then, please don’t hesitate to contact [NAME] in my absence. [EMAIL]. Thanks so much.
This is a notice to all tenants that leasing office will be closed on [date] in observance of [holiday]. Please contact [name] and [company] for any immediate concerns or questions. Thank you and may everyone have a safe and happy [holiday Name]
Student emails at 3am Saturday morning, then is sends an email Sunday night, miffed you didn’t reply.
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.”
Or they work with one or more of those people that call you 5 minutes after sending an email if you don’t reply.