Going away on vacation, or not going to be in the office for a few days? Then it is likely that you will be required to set up an out of office message on your email. Anyone who has worked in an office has probably set these up many times and is used to also being on the receiving end of various auto responses as they contact colleagues and businesses. Here you will find a number of great out of office templates you can use to help you set up the perfect auto response super fast.
It should go without saying that you should always remain professional. When you are excited to be heading out the door for couple of weeks of traveling and partying, it might be tempting to broadcast this for every sender to see for the whole time you are away. Your colleague in the department down the corridor might smile at your candidness, but they probably already know you will be away and won’t be emailing you anyway.
Consider instead what you should be including for an effective out of office auto response. Remember it is automatic, so everyone is going to see the same. If you have the option, set up two different responses: one to go to senders from inside your company, and a second for everyone outside your organization. The key points that you need to have in your message are:
- How long you will be unavailable for (dates, etc.)
- Who the sender should contact in your absence
- The date you will return to the office
But, you don’t need to limit your message to just this information either. At the end will also find some examples of how to add some extra value to your out of office message.
8 Examples of Out of Office Messages You Can Use Right Now
Are you still not sure how to put together a nicely composed message that contains all the right information. Then take a look these templates, copy into your email program and just fill in your details. It is super easy and you will have your professional message completed in just a couple of minutes.
Get the basics right!
We are sure you can tweak these to suit your own style as you wish, but these templates do just what is needed fast and professionally.
Template 1
[Your Greeting]
Thank you for your email. I’m currently out of the office and will be back on (Date of Return). During this period I will have limited access to my email.
For immediate assistance please contact me on my cell phone at (your cell phone number).
Best Regards,
[Your Name]
Template 2
[Your Greeting]
I will be out of the office from (Starting Date) until (End Date), returning on (Date of Return).
If you need immediate assistance during my absence, please contact (Contacts Name) at (Contacts Email Address). Otherwise I will read and respond to your email as soon as possible upon my return.
Kind Regards,
[Your Name]
Template 3
[Your Greeting]
Unfortunately, you have missed me. I am not in the office from (Starting Date) until (End Date), and will only be able to respond when I return on (Date of Return).
I understand that some matters will be more urgent than that, so I have set up the following contingencies:
Contact Contacts Name) at (Contacts Email Address) for (Enquiry Topic) matters.
Contact Contacts Name) at (Contacts Email Address) for (Enquiry Topic) matters.
Current customers contact (Contacts Name) at (Contacts Email Address)
All other matters, I’ll catch up on when I return.
Thanks,
[Your Name]
I’m away because….
Whilst most of the time the people emailing you don’t need to know why you aren’t available, and some small details can add a personal touch to an impersonal auto-response.
Template 4
[Your Greeting],
As much as I would like to give you a quick reply, I cannot. I am currently on annual leave from (Starting Date) until (End Date) and I will not be able to check my inbox regularly until I return.
I strongly recommend you contact (Contacts Name) at (Contacts Email Address). if you require a more timely response.
I will be able to respond personally again after I return on (Date of Return).
Kind regards,
[Your Name]
Sometimes simply no one will be around. You need an option for those times when your whole office is away at the same time, like for a public holiday or over the holiday season.
Template 5
[Your Greeting],
Thank you for your email, but our company is currently closed from (Starting Date) until (End Date), as we are celebrating (Holiday).
Unfortunately, it means we will not be able to send you any reply until (Date of Return).
We apologize for the delay but wish you a wonderful holiday season.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Sign up whilst I’m away
Since the people emailing you actually want to connect with you, why miss this opportunity to communicate some value and have your auto-response do some work for you
Got an upcoming event, a new course or webinar offering, a newsletter that the sender might be interested in? Then, add the details into your message.
Template 6
Hello and thanks for your email. I’m currently out of the office until (Date of Return) with limited or no access to email. If your request is urgent, please contact (Contacts Name) at (Contacts Email Address).
In the mean time, are you aware that we have a e-newsletter? A regular dose of all your favorite (Company Name). content delivered to your inbox. To ensure you don’t miss out on all the latest updates and happenings, sign up for our newsletter here.
I will respond to your email as soon as possible upon my return.
Thanks,
[Your Name]
Template 7
Hello,
I am sorry to have missed your email, but I am out of the office for a while. I’ll be back soon, by (Date of Return).
During my absence, feel free to contact (Contacts Name) at (Contacts Email Address). They will be able to assist you with any issue or question you might have, if you need a reply before I return.
If you have contacted me to get information about (Topic), then you might be interested in our next live webinar, (Webinar Name) on (Date of webinar). You can take a look at exactly what will be covered and sign up here.
Regards,
[Your Name]
Networking Opportunity
If you will be heading to an industry event, then let people know. Colleagues in other companies, or customers might take it as an extra chance to connect and say hello.
Template 8
[Your Greeting],
Thanks for your email. I’ll be away from the office until (Date of Return) and will respond to your email as soon as I can.
For any urgent inquiries, please contact my colleague (Contacts Name) at (Contacts Email Address), and they will be able to assist.
I’ll be at (Name of Conference) (Dates at Conference), so let me know if you will be there too. Information about (Company Name)’s presence at the conference can be found here and you can follow us on (Social media link).
Best Regards,
[Your Name]