Crafting Your Out of Office Message? OOOh, Be Careful.

@ Can Stock Photo / marog

I don’t receive as many Out of Office (OOO) auto-responder messages as I used to. For better or worse, our mobile devices make it difficult to ever be truly out of touch.

That said, OOO emails aren’t extinct yet either. Whenever I send out an e-newsletter, I typically receive at least a dozen or so automated replies, letting me know who is out and about. The numbers seem to increase on Friday afternoons, when spring is in the air!

I wholeheartedly endorse unplugging now and then. It’s good for you and your business. But before you head out, do think twice about the content in your Out of Office message. There’s an irony to it: You’ll spend untold dollars and countless hours creating your communications: your website, your newsletters, your client materials, advertisements, etc., all crafted to perfection.

Then you’ll give scarcely a thought to your OOO response, even though what it says about you is just as important.

Properly crafted, your OOO message can contribute to your business development by appealing to clients, prospects, the media, and strategic alliances alike. It’s a free opportunity to shine, by leaving anyone who has reached out to you feeling good about your professionalism, and impressed by your dedicated supported team, ready and waiting to assist them in your absence.

Or not. If you’ve slapped together your OOO message as you’re heading out the door (already running way later than expected), it can instead leave your recipients wondering what you were thinking.

Here are a few basics to watch for:

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