Out of Office or Out of Your Mind?

Each week when we send out our weekly newsletter we're inundated with replies detailing that people are "out of office".Now don't get me wrong, I love a good out of office reply, but we see some shockers here on a weekly basis.

Here's some of my least favourites.

1. The grammatically incorrect / spelled incorrectly reply. With spell check there's really no excuse.

2. The too brief reply. We got one simply saying "On leave <> - cheers". There's no space limit on most out of office systems - give a little more.

3. The reply that only lists a phone contact. If someone's chosen to email you, please, give them an alternate email contact (it's clearly their preferred method of contact).

4. The expired date. This one kills me. Joe is out of the office until 21 December (only it's 24 December now!) If you're going to put an out of office on - diarise to take it back off again!

5. The no end date. "I'm out of the office from 4.30pm Thursday". Until???

Out of offices I've loved:

Greetings and I hope you are well.

Just letting you know that I will be away on leave for the next few weeks and that my dedicated Finance Manager <> will continue to manage all matters during this time.

<> is fully across and briefed on all current and potential client needs so please feel free to call him on <> or email him on <> should you require any assistance.

My fellow Directors <> and <> will also be supporting <> during this time with any new or additional property investment finance or home loan needs.

Thanks for your continued support and I will be in touch on my return.

Regards,
John
<>

Hi there,

I trust that you are well!

I am currently on Annual Leave until the 20th June.

I will be clearing my inbox every 3 days. However if there is any urgent issue please call my mobile on +61 418 878 901

Take care and we will chat soon!

Many Thanks
Tina
<>

and my favourite for sales people that I've been mentioning in talks for years (and yes, I still love seeing it come across our inbox)


Hi,

As a salesperson I'm away from my desk for much of the day showing properties, dealing with clients and signing contracts.

It's my policy to check emails twice a day, but if you need me more urgently, please feel free to call me on my mobile <>.

I look forward to talking with you soon!

best wishes,
<>

Will your out of office be forgettable or useful? Embarrassing or memorable? Helpful or painful?

By Kirsty Dunphey with No comments