Best Practices for Creating Out-of-Office Emails

If you are like me, chances are you check your email at least once daily. We send 333.2 billion emails every day, whether to correspond with coworkers, connect with our favorite brands, or send promotional offers and transaction summaries to customers¹. However, what if you are out of the office and therefore unable to respond to emails? For example, you may not be able to regularly check your email during a vacation to Key West or a trade show in Las Vegas, making it difficult for you to stay abreast of all the emails you receive. You need a quick and easy solution notifying senders of your absence and that you will return shortly.

Enter out-of-office messages, or OOOs for short. OOOs give you and your senders much-needed peace of mind by letting them know not only that their email was received, but also that you will be unable to respond to their inquiries immediately². Additionally, OOOs let senders know exactly when you will return to your desk². In this article, we will highlight best practices for creating predictably awesome out-of-office emails.

Before creating and sending an OOO message, you must decide how emails will be handled in your absence². For instance, you must consider whether you are checking emails periodically or not at all while you are away from the office². Also consider who can handle urgent requests in your place, as well as whether senders should forward copies of your OOO to a colleague². If you have designated a specific colleague to cover urgent email inquiries on your behalf, include their contact information in your message as outlined in the sample below². Forwarding emails to a coworker can be especially helpful during an extended absence, such as medical or parental leave². In this instance, you must certainly let users know whom they can contact until you return³. We will now discuss what to include – and what not to include – in your OOO message.

(Image courtesy of https://www.yesware.com/blog/out-of-office-examples/)

One best practice for crafting predictably awesome OOO emails is to include the specific date you plan to return². If you simply state that you will be away from your desk “until tomorrow morning,” this vague approach leaves senders guessing exactly when “tomorrow” is³. Rather, you must mention the exact date for your planned return to the office. For example, if you are attending a conference in Phoenix starting on Monday, December 5 and will not return to your desk until Monday, December 12, then include it in your message: “I will be out of the office until Monday, December 12.” This eliminates guesswork so you and your senders alike can enjoy much-needed peace of mind.

Another best practice for creating OOO emails is to inform senders whether you will be accessing your email while absent². For instance, if you are going to the Poconos for a weeklong camping trip, you should notify senders that you will not have an internet connection and therefore be unable to check your email until returning to work. You must also include an estimated date by which senders can expect a response, which may or may not be the same as your planned return-to-office date, as outlined in the image below².

(Image courtesy of https://www.harborcomputerservices.net/how-to-set-an-automatic-out-of-office-reply-in-outlook/)

Keep in mind that while there is some information you should always include in your OOO emails, there is some you must exclude². Chances are you may be tempted to share details about your upcoming Western Caribbean cruise or family reunion in Myrtle Beach, for example². However, you should always take the most professional route and simply “describe your absence as a vacation,” without unnecessarily explaining where and why you are traveling². Additionally, consider that autoreplies are sent in response to any emails arriving in your inbox, regardless of sender². Therefore, you must also make sure to omit personal information such as your company name, phone number, title, or contact details from OOO messages². Why take the chance of leaving your email open to hackers during a vacation or business trip?

Once you have finished drafting your OOO message, email it to yourself so you can catch any mistakes before using it in reply to other senders². Like any workplace communication, your OOO emails should be free of all typos and grammatical errors, so proofreading them is crucial². You do not want your senders to see a message with several key words misspelled, for example. Now that you understand these best practices, follow them so you can craft predictably awesome out-of-office email messages for any vacation, business trip, personal leave, or general office absence. Your colleagues and customers will thank you for it.

Navitend can help you. Call 973.448.0070 or setup an appointment today.

Sources:

¹Zippia. “75 Incredible Email Statistics [2022]: How Many Emails are Sent Per Day?” by Chris Kolmar. Retrieved from https://www.zippia.com/advice/how-many-emails-are-sent-per-day/.

²Indeed. “7 Examples of Out of Office Messages (With Sample).” Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/hire/c/info/7-examples-of-out-of-office-messages#:~:text=An%20effective%20out-of-office%20message%20typically%3A%201%20Includes%20a,the%20sender%20who%20to%20contact%20for%20urgent%20requests.

³Resourceful Finance Pro. “Out-of-office messages: 10 outrageous ones and some helpful advice” by Jennifer Azara. Retrieved from https://www.resourcefulfinancepro.com/articles/out-of-office-email-messages/.

View these articles on other best business practices

https://www.navitend.com/blog/article/best-practices-for-making-predictably-awesome-it-sales-calls

https://www.navitend.com/blog/article/best-practices-for-creating-contact-forms-on-your-website

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I look forward to working with you again in the future. Once again, thanks to your organization for your prompt response.

Luke
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navitend’s approach to customer service is greatly appreciated here. Ensuring that we are well protected from a technology standpoint provides us with peace of mind to continue our day to day operations and that they are looking out for our company's best interest.

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Best Practices for Creating Out-of-Office Emails

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Testimonials

Corey is always a huge help when I need assistance. Gets it completed quickly and successfully. Thank you Corey.

Fran

The tech's at navitend are very knowledgeable and thorough. Corey was patient and kept looking into every avenue until he found the issue and fixed it. Thank you so much you guys are great.

Lisa

Cheryl

Maria

Their support staff is beyond good. They sorted out our company email server migration problem yesterday in record time. It's great to work with a team that has expertise in depth. There are so many one-man-bands out there. It was a good decision to go with the pros.

Steve

I recently had to work from home for the first time, and Corey at navitend provided EXCELLENT service. He was patient, kind, and followed through on all the details!

Penny

These folks are spectacular! They're contracted by my work to provide IT support, and they are SO responsive that my mind is blown every time! Just a quick email to request help, and I immediately get a response for a patient and friendly person to call me and walk me through the solutions.

Hannah

Over the years that Navitend has been supporting my network and hosting our web site they have always been responsive, professional, and highly skilled. On a few occasions, I have turned away other vendors that have tried to get their foot in the door. Very satisfied.

M B

This company is the best! I feel for the guys that have to help us who are not so tech savvy! Never have I been disappointed at the great service navitend provides! Corey was especially helpful and I highly recommend Navitend for all your IT needs! You will be extremely satisfied!

Kathleen

Great experience with this IT company! The team was professional, efficient, and easy to work with. A special shoutout to Corey—he was especially helpful and went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. Highly recommend!

Jordan

JP and Corey are always so helpful!

I have been working with navitend for 10+ years. Great group of talented professionals!

Anne

Very nice guy and very good service from Corey navitend at Bon Chef.

Claire

I wanted to personally thank Corey for always helping me with any concerns I have about my software inquiry issues. He is quick with his responses and I am always up to date with all my connectivity. Always a great experience! Thank you!

Blerina

navitend has been a life-saver many times for me! They are diligent in troubleshooting problems - until they resolve it. I've worked many times with Corey and he is fantastic - I can count on him to fix all my Outlook and computer problems. Overall, I highly recommend navitend.

Bob

This IT firm has been extremely patient, helpful and professional and they are immediately available to troubleshoot and solve problems whenever they arise. Highly recommend them!

Kathy

Jacqueline

navitend has gone above and beyond my highest expectations. Anthony was great! He was able to coordinate with an Adobe Rep and resolve issues that I had just put too much time into. Thank you again - It was a real pleasure working with you!

Forrest

Corey was an amazing support while getting me set up on my computer. He was very sweet and patient with me, considering all the time it took to get me set up. Thank you Corey!

Our company is more efficient and has grown as a result of navitend’s work. navitend helped us get to the next level.

Greg

Denise

George

Very helpful, courteous & professional. They do a great job and are pleasant to work with as well.

Robert

Thanks so much! You are a class act! You and your team have really done an excellent job on this!

Steve The C12 Group in Houston, Texas

Andrea always goes above and beyond with meeting expectations and customer satisfaction! navitend provides great IT services.

George

100% of all expectations met. Don't just consider navitend, choose them and get back to YOUR mission!

C Baker

Rick dedicated 2+ days of helping my facility with the install of new printers. This team is fantastic!

Lori

I look forward to working with you again in the future. Once again, thanks to your organization for your prompt response.

Luke

Brian

navitend’s approach to customer service is greatly appreciated here. Ensuring that we are well protected from a technology standpoint provides us with peace of mind to continue our day to day operations and that they are looking out for our company's best interest.

Debbie

We wholeheartedly recommend navitend for their exceptional IT solutions and services; they have undoubtedly earned our trust and loyalty for future endeavors.

Benjamin

This company provides IT service for my firm. They respond quickly and have always helped me navigate and fix whatever issue I am having. Corey, Jay and others - and others - all are excellent. Highly recommend.

Nancy

The team over at Navitend always takes care of my IT needs. They are quick to respond and patient, no matter how simple my question or need.

Jeremy

Corey came to my rescue by getting Quick Books working for me. He is excellent at what he does. Very knowledgeable in the Tech field. I don't know what we at Equity Environmental would ever do without him. Thank you Corey!!!!

Lucille

navitend has consistently offered timely, professional, and courteous solutions to our business needs ranging from troubleshooting, purchase and setup of new computers and other advice. They are my 'go-to team' and continue to be a trusted support in our time of need.

Laurie

Best costumer service!! They are the nicest and most patient people. I highly highly recommend!!!!

Stephanie

Anthony was very helpful and solved all my issues promptly. I appreciate all his hard work. Thank you navitend and Anthony.

Kyle

We have used Navitend for many years. They are always very responsive and helpful. If you are frustrated with your current provided, you should definitely contact Navitend.

Robert

Bryan

We've dedicated our lives to growing our retail and ecommerce business and it's a relief to have found a company like navitend who treats our business likes it's their own. navitend's personal approach to project management and problem solving are top-notch.

Stamatis, Co-owner Twisted Lily, Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary

I cannot say enough about navitend's expertise, customer service, knowledge and professionalism! They have been a great partner with our company for all of our IT needs.

Thanks so much! You are a class act!
You and your team have really done an excellent job on this!