Out-of-office or autoresponder email messages are responses automatically sent to your colleagues, customers, and clients when you cannot respond to them personally. Usually, they contain information you aren’t able to respond to at the moment, provide contact information of who to reach out to while you are off, and approximate terms of your response. You might also consider including the reason for your absence; however, it is optional. If you often deal with such situations, or even occasionally, we recommend reading this article. Here you’ll find out why such emails are important and how to create layouts suitable for different occasions.
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Out-of-office messages are a matter of good service and thoughtfulness firstly. They let your clients, colleagues, or business partners know where else they can seek help while you are unavailable. Who knows what kind of issue they are trying to contact you about at the moment and how urgent it actually is? Instead of getting even more frustrated because of the delay, they see a polite and professional explanation of why they can’t reach out to you and what alternative options they have to get a fast solution. Here we’ve come up with the most frequent reasons why you might set up an out-of-office message:
Many professional email programs provide an option to set two OOO messages at once: for internal recipients and external contacts. Depending on this, you may want to include or, on the contrary, exclude the reason for your absence.
Out-of-office messages do have to be informative, but not too much. We don’t recommend adding the following information:
Here are some examples of OOO messages depending on their type:
Hello,
Thank you for your message. I am out of the office until (time or date) and cannot provide a timely response while I am away. Therefore, if you need immediate assistance, please contact our customer care representative, (name), at …@email.com or 333-444-5555, ext. 1. I will be able to contact you only after I return.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Stone
Account Executive
Hi!
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately, I am not available at the moment as I am on vacation in Europe. It will take place from (date) to (date), and I am back at the office again. If you need immediate assistance, please email my colleague, (name), at …@email.com.
All the Best!
Elizabeth Stone
Account Executive
Hi there!
I’m off and out of touch until (date). If you need to see the accounting reports again, please contact Meggie; she knows what to do.
Thanks,
Melanie
Hello,
Thank you for your message. I am currently attending the annual Archeology and Anthropology conference in New York and might not provide an immediate response. For urgent matters, please contact my assistant, (name), at …@email.com or 777-555-1270.
If you’re in New York this week, please contact me on my cell at 333-444-5555.
Best Wishes,
Kelly Walker
Hello!
Thank you for contacting me. I have an appointment from 12 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, August 30. I’m afraid I will not have access to email, so if there is something urgent, please contact (name) at …@email.com or 333-444-5555. If it can wait, I will respond after 2 p.m. when I’m back in the office.
Thanks,
Kelly Walker
Accountant Manager
Hi there,
Thank you for your message. I am currently leading the conference that is taking place from September 1 to September 4. I might check email throughout the day; however, I can’t guarantee an immediate response. If it is urgent, please contact (name) at …@email.com or 333-444-5555.
Thank you for your patience,
Elizabeth Bonnet
Hello,
I am on maternity leave from October 22 to November 16. My personal assistant, (name), will manage all the issues. You can contact him/her at …@email.com or 333-444-5555.
Regards,
Madeline Fox
Event Planner
Hello,
Thank you for your message. I am not available until October 20 and will be able to email you back only after I return. In the meantime, consider enjoying free chapters from our new e-book, “10 Steps to Achieving Healthy Self Worth.” If you find it helpful, you can purchase and download a complete copy at healthyselfworth.com. For urgent questions, please contact our customer care representative, (name), at …@email.com or 333-444-5555.
Sincerely,
Ann Parker
Personal Coach
Hello,
Thank you for your message. I am out of the office until (time or date) and cannot provide a timely response. If you need immediate assistance, please contact (name) at …@email.com or 333-444-5555.
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Kind Regards,
Thomas Jackson
Personal Therapist
Hi there,
Many thanks for reaching out! I’m out of the office and can respond only after Sep.15. Our social media platforms will keep you updated with all the things happening in our agency while I’m away, so don’t hesitate to follow us right now! However, if it’s really urgent, consider contacting my colleague, (name), at …@smagency.com.
Have a wonderful day,
Penny Black
Social Media Developer
Hello,
I am on vacation from Oct. 10–23, most likely, with no email access. If you need help with technical issues while I’m away, please contact our system administrator, (name), at …@email.com or 333-444-5555. For salary matters, please contact our accountant, (name), at …@email.com. If you need to take a day off or sick leave, please text our HR manager, (name), at 333-444-5555.
Regards,
Emma Stone
Marketing Director
