I hate when senders ignore the instructions in my OOO message. Usually, my message is something simple like: “I am out [Dates], returning to the office [Date]. Please contact Jane (jane’s email address) in my absence. General [department] questions may be sent to [general dept email address].” To me that says if you are sending me anything then I won’t see it until I return. If you have something you need to be resolved right away, you can contact Jane or send it to our department inbox (where it should be going anyway).
An out of office message lets you keep people informed and tells them how to proceed in your absence. You can also select options for urgent matters within your out of office message.
.
If you are a customer still in onboarding, please reach out to your Data Migration Specialist, Jane Smith, at [email protected] or 971-314-6323.
“No! I'm adamant that when you're out of the office and away from work, you should be out of the office,” Sullivan says. “We all need time to rest and recover, and to be human beings instead of workers. Anything that needs to be handled at work can be done by someone else, or can wait until your return.”
Anything worded like Option 1 would never fly at my workplace, exactly because of this. I have colleagues who complain to upper management if their non-urgent tech support questions (that a whole troubleshooting website already answers) don’t get an answer from me or my boss within half a day. And oh, did I mention our job is not actually tech support?
This is the perfect way to reduce the sheer email volume that you’ll return to, with a little anarchy involved…
I'm out of the office enjoying the holidays until [date]. I'll respond as quickly as I can when the festivities are over and I'm back at my desk. If your request is urgent, please reach out to my colleague, [name], at [email], for assistance.
There are some types of work or office cultures where I think this makes sense. Sometimes enough people use OOO messages for work travel, conferences, and similar that getting the OOO doesn’t really mean you won’t get a response until the date specified. It can help to clarify.
LiVi Virtual Events | Careers Online Orders Upload Files Contact Us Who We Are Storytellers Innovators Leaders Socially Responsible What We Do Virtual Experiences Digital Engagement Exhibits Events Corporate Environments Office Environments Healthcare Facilities Financial Institutions COVID-19 PPE Our Work Insights Blog GUIDE2LIVE In the News Featured Articles Press Releases
If you’re reading this in your inbox, you can find a shareable version online here. You can follow me on Twitter here, and Instagram here. Feel free to comment below — and you can always reach me at [email protected].
Yeah, that’s not enough to stress over. Try coming back to tens of thousands after parental leave.
Whether you're sunning yourself on a beach, hiking through the mountains or walking across... 5 Easy Office Decorations That Will Give Everyone Christmas Envy
Fed official warns of ‘extreme’ market reaction unless debt ceiling raisedUK fuel crisis threatens to hit health services and industryMerkel’s natural heir: how Olaf Scholz won Germany’s electionNo 10 plans to lower salary level at which graduates start repaying loansUK government to take control of Southeastern rail franchise
If you’re taking a vacation and staying home, your clients or coworkers may still expect you to pop into the office and answer their email. Use this autoresponder to let them know you’re really not available — even if you’re bumming around on the couch.
YES. I was actually just going to go on the weekend thread and ask if I was the only one that really hates this term.
Who says an autoresponder needs to be impersonal? You can use your OOO message to continue building a relationship with present and potential customers by showing off the knowledge and products you have to offer. You can include a case study, a downloadable to your latest report, or a link to an excellent blog post you published. Not only does this further your credibility, but it also allays the feelings of frustration customers might feel while not being able to reach you.
“Hello, I am out of the office from [date] to [date] for a family vacation. I have limited access to phone and will try to reply to you upon my return. If you need any urgent information, please contact [person] at [phone number]. Happy holidays!”