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 are some of my least favourites.

1. The grammatically incorrect/misspelled reply. With spell check there’s really no excuse.

2. The too brief reply. We got one simply saying: “On leave <<insert dates>>. 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 December 21 (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 <<insert name>> will continue to manage all matters during this time.

<<insert name>> is fully across and briefed on all current and potential client needs so please feel free to call him on <<insert phone number>> or email him on < < mailto:lh@vibefinance.com.au> <insert email>> should you require any assistance.

My fellow Directors <<insert name>> and <<insert name>> will also be supporting <<insert name>> 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
<<insert company details>>

And:

Hi there,

I trust that you are well!

I am currently on Annual Leave until June 20.

I will be clearing my inbox every three days. However, if there is any urgent issue please call my mobile on <<insert number>>.

Take care and we will chat soon!

Many Thanks
Tina
<<insert company details>>

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 <<insert number>>.

I look forward to talking with you soon!

Best wishes,
<<insert name>>

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

Kirsty Dunphey is the youngest ever Australian Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year, author of two books (her latest release is Retired at 27, If I Can do it Anyone Can) and a passionate entrepreneur who started her first business at age 15 and opened her own real estate agency at 21. Now Kirsty does lots of fun things which you can read about here. Her favourite current projects are Elephant Property, a boutique property management agency, Baby Teresa, a baby clothing line that donates an outfit to a baby in need for each one they sell andReallySold, which helps real estate agents stop writing boring, uninteresting ads.