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Mailbutler shows you how to write a professional, informative out of office email for when you're away from work - and points out some things you should avoid.
James has six years' experience as a Content Marketer, bylines on Left Foot Forward, Submittable, and INOMICS, and a Master's in History. In his free time he likes to read, play guitar, and write for his personal blog.
Whether you're going on a business trip or a holiday, out of office emails can be a really good way of making sure all your clients and coworkers know that you're not available for a certain period of time.
Setting automated out of office (OOO) emails is one of the last things you'll do before you leave and they're something a lot of different people will see.
For this reason, it's important that they are clearly written and contain exactly the information your recipients will need to continue working efficiently while you're away. Making sure your OOOs are clear and informative also mitigates any problems you might come across when you do finally return from work after that lovely weekend in the Cotswolds (or wherever it is you happen to go).
We've previously written about why you shouldn't use out of office messages, giving you reasons why they aren't your best bet when you're away from your work for a time. However, if you're set on sending out of office emails while you're on holiday, it's also our responsibility to show you how to do them properly.
So how do you set up a great out of office in your Outlook, Gmail and Apple Mail email inbox? Here are some dos and don'ts for creating the best OOO emails, along with some OOO email templates.
Here are some basic email templates showing what an out of office email should contain:
Thank you for your email. I will be out of the office from mm/dd to mm/dd and will have limited access to email/will not have access to email. As a result, my reply might take a bit longer than usual. If this is urgent, please contact [name] at [email] or [phone].
Best regards,
Or
Thank you for your email. I am out on a business conference from [date] to [date] and your email will not be forwarded. Should the matter be important, please contact [email address] in my absence.
Best
The first example doesn't include where you are, but it does have a little more information than the second. Both, however, are professional, short, and the to the point, and therefore good out of office messages.
Below are some OOO email templates that should not be used:
I appreciate you trying to reach me, but unfortunately – I am out of the office sunbathing. I will be back at [date]. It will probably take me two additional days to get used to my office and dig through hundreds of new urgent emails before I get back to you.
Or
I will be out of the office for the rest of the day without access to email. If this is an emergency, please call emergency services.
Although it can be tempting to inject a little humor into a boring out of office email, sometimes it just isn't appropriate and can do more harm than good while you're away. Keep things clinical and professional - better safe than sorry!
Of course, if you are feeling wary about prospective leads that you won’t be able to instantly get back to, you can set your OOO emails to include relevant links on your website, or draw attention to ongoing promotions so that they might pique their interest even more.
Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately, I’m out of the office from mm/dd to mm/dd with limited / no access to email. If this is important, contact [name] at [email] or [phone] and he/she will take care of you.
Did you email me about [service your company provides]/[ongoing promotions]? Great! Read more about it at (link [to the services the company is proving]/[current promotions]).
I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Best
The out of office email function is to let people know that you are not available for a specific amount of time. They don’t have to be long or complicated, but rather short and concise. So next time you write your OOO messages, use it to inform and assist the email sender.
An out-of-office email message should include:
Writing a good out-of-office email reply is easier than some might think. Here’s what you need to do:
Setting up automatic out-of-office replies in Outlook, Gmail, and Apple Mail is extremely easy. Here are the instructions for each email client:
Set up an OOO message in Outlook
Set up an OOO message in Gmail
Set up an OOO message in Apple Mail
If you're still not decided on what type of out of office email suits you best, remember these dos and don'ts when writing your message. Communicate the exact dates when you are not available, let people know about prolonged response times, include a reason for your absence, and, if possible, provide alternative contact information.
Don't overload your recipients with too much information, keep away from jokes and funny emails, don't offer a colleague's help without running it by them first, and always check for typos.
All in all, if you keep these tips in mind when creating out of office emails, you should have no problems creating professional out of office email messages.
Now go and enjoy your vacation! Get some rest by preparing everything before leaving the office. You could also download Mailbutler and schedule your emails with the Send Later feature in case there's any important communication that needs to be taken care of while you are away.
Ray
08 May 2019
Ray
08 May 2019
Thank you for the terrific article
08 May 2019
Darren
16 May 2019
Darren
16 May 2019
It works very well for me
16 May 2019
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10 Jun 2019
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10 Jun 2019
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10 Jun 2019