Out-of-office, not just for vacations.
Email can be a big source of stress for many small business owners. There is a lot of pressure to respond quickly, succinctly and with accurate information.
Have you ever considered using the out-of-office setting to reduce this pressure?
I’ll let you in on a secret...setting an out-of-office isn’t just for vacations. You can set an out-of-office when you’re with a client, crushing a deadline or taking time off to recover from a big project.
Most clients don’t need to hear from you right away. Letting them know when they will hear from you is great client service!
Try a response like this one:
“Hi. Thanks for contacting me. I’m currently with a client, I’ll be back online at 3:00pm and will respond to you then.
[OPTIONAL] If your matter is urgent please call my cell 555-555-5555”
Or you can keep it super generic:
“Hi. Thanks for contacting me. I’m currently away from email and will be back online this afternoon.”
One final tip, set an out-of-office when you actually take a vacation or stay-cation! Even if you plan to peek at your emails, you certainly won’t be answering as quickly as normal. Set the expectation, your clients will respect it.
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