
I donât 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 arenât 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. Itâs good for you and your business. But before you head out, do think twice about the content in your Out of Office message. Thereâs an irony to it: Youâll spend untold dollars and countless hours creating your communications: your website, your newsletters, your client materials, advertisements, etc., all crafted to perfection.
Then youâll 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. Itâs 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 youâve slapped together your OOO message as youâre 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:
Typos
This may seem obvious, but I see them all the time. Look at it this way: Your OOO message may receive at least as many views as your website during the same time frame. Shouldnât it be proofread with the same level of care?
Tone
This is more subtle, and may be hard to address on your own. Iâve sometimes seen advisorsâ OOO messages state something like this: âIf this cannot wait, please contact âŚâ or âif your request is urgent, please contact âŚâ
Now, I know what youâre trying to say. You simply wanted to let everyone know how to be in touch with your team while youâre away, and to suggest youâll be delighted to take care of them personally once you return. Youâre inviting them to decide whether they would like immediate assistance, or whether theyâd rather wait.
That may be what you meant. Unfortunately, even a slightly off-tune tone may convey something more like this: âI hope youâll leave us alone until Iâm good and ready to be back in touch.â
An improved approach might look more like this: âFor immediate assistance, please contact [name]. Otherwise, I look forward to promptly being back in touch with you when I return.â This still leaves the choice to them, while letting them know help is available.
Messaging
Have you struck a balance between communicating the essentials without rambling on? Make sure the message accurately states when youâll be back, and who to contact in your absence. You also can use the opportunity to add a nice relationship-building touch, by including a more personalized explanation of why youâre away. Here are a few possibilities:
- âI am attending a Dimensional Fund Advisors workshop, and I canât wait to share with you the new insights Iâll gain while Iâm away.â
- âI am spending time to recharge and reconnect with my family this week. I look forward to catching up with you as soon as I return.â
- âI am sorry to say Iâve succumbed to this yearâs cold & flu season. Iâm sequestered at home, but looking forward to being back in full swing by [tentative date].â
If the time away is going to be extended, indeterminate, or due to a particularly sensitive circumstance, itâs worth taking extra care with the wording. Thatâs a fancy way of saying a generic example wonât suffice.
Preparation
Consider preparing your message in advance, and having someone else proofread it for tone, typos, or off-topic messaging. If youâre a sole proprietor, send it to a friend or family member who wonât be shy about alerting you if something sounds âoff.â If nobody else is available, at least give it a fresh-eye proofread yourself before you head out.
Once youâre back, donât forget to deactivate your OOO message! This is another slip-up I see all the time and, admittedly, Iâve done this myself once or twice. Set yourself a calendar reminder, and/or leave yourself a note somewhere obvious. And by the way, all the same goes for any OOO voice mail messages you may have recorded.
Questions? Comments? Shoot me a message. I donât expect to be OOO anytime soon.