I pretty consistently just do “Greetings, I will be out of office from (date) to (date) with (limited/no) access to email. If you need assistance, please contact (boss) at (email address) – otherwise, I will follow up with you upon my return. Thanks!”
Now make your email unique when you are out for traveling for work and be a standard part of the job. If you are traveling to a conference you can set up your email.
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Remember that it’s important to choose the tone of your message based on the final recipient.
I have literally never seen an OOO that wasn’t “I will be out of the office until DATE/further notice. Please contact X or Y at EMAIL/PHONE if you need assistance.” This is fascinating stuff.
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
Every time the grocery store clerk asks, “Would you like to donate to breast cancer?” I have to bite my tongue.
For non-urgent inquiries, I will return your message as soon as I get back in the office.
Hi there, Thank you for reaching out! We are currently in the middle of our busy season so our reply may be delayed up to three days. We appreciate your patience while we look into this for you! Thank you.
Here are some samples and templates of automatic reply messages across various scenarios.
Labor Day Out Of Office Message. If your message is time sensitive, use urgent in your subject line so i know to reply by the end of the business day. More general requests can be emailed to. Here are some ooo messages you can consider based on type thank you for your message. Festive out of office holiday messages provide you with a creative approach to tailor your automated email message to a specific holiday. Out of office message examples.
Written by Braden Becker @BradenBecker
One of your European connections here. When I know the person covering me will also be away for part of the time I’m gone, I get another colleague to cover for those dates and put that in my OOO. Saying “Your e-mail will not be read” or similar is really off-putting. The youth worker at my church does this and I find it infuriating. Of course it won’t. That’s the point of a holiday. When I get an answer from someone who reads his e-mails on vacation I’m pleasantly surprised.
Hollywood star turned gin distiller Ryan Reynolds showed last summer how the OOO can become a marketing tool. “Thank you for your email and interest in Aviation American Gin! I’m away from my desk at the moment but will respond the moment they give me a desk,” began his first attempt. A few months later, along came another: “This is only my 2nd OUT OF OFFICE REPLY. From what I’m told, it should be short, sweet and NEVER overly personal or emotional.” After TV host Jimmy Fallon asked him to read one out on The Tonight Show, the resulting influx – around 20,000 emails in a single day – to [email protected] melted the small brand’s servers. Fortunately, it also reportedly piqued the interest of retailers and restaurants, keen to start carrying the tipple.
Don't leave your sender guessing. Let them know when you'll be out and the date you'll be back in the office — not when you're returning home.
The only thing that isn’t boilerplate in mine is the inclusion of “But what if I have a word emergency?” before the who to contact stuff. I removed it at one point and people asked me to put it back in because it made them smile. And yep, we’re writers so the only emergencies we deal with are ones related to words.
Yes, I do like that option. I can either redirect off the cuff, or if the message isn’t urgent, delay delivery so they get it after they get back.
So, because I want you to be able to enjoy your time off, I’ve put together these two email templates to help you make it abundantly clear that you’re not around for the next 24 hours.