The holiday season is upon us, which often means we will be out of the office for at least a few days. When you are out of the office (not just during the holiday season), setting up and activating an out-of-office auto-reply is a good idea. If you don't know how to set one up in Gmail, Google Support has a great article on creating a vacation reply.
When composing your away message, it's recommended to include the following information:- Include the exact dates when you are not in the office. Including precise dates of your absence lets people know precisely when they should send you a follow-up email to try reaching you when you're back.
- Communicate delayed response times. When you’re out of the office, and you know you’ll have your hands busy with many other tasks when coming back, it is always good to let others know that it might be a while before getting back to them, even after you've returned to work.
- Provide alternative contact information. For urgent matters, provide the name, phone number, and email address of a contact person. Ensure the contact you have added is aware and has agreed to be an alternative contact.
- Proofread your message. You never know who may receive your auto-reply, so it's a good idea to take a few extra seconds to check for spelling errors, etc.
