How To Craft an Effective Out-of-Office Message

Effective communication with your customers, clients, and colleagues is essential for running a successful ecommerce business—even when you step away from the office. You’re not going to respond to emails in real-time while on vacation, of course, but crafting a well-written out-of-office message ahead of time can help avoid confusion and set clear expectations for when you’ll be back in touch.

Case in point: On an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast, Bookishly owner Louise Verity talks about her company’s transition from a traditional five-day work week to a four-day one. When she and her team started taking Wednesdays off from work, she needed to let her dropshipping partners know, so they implemented an automated and informative out-of-office email. The response to Bookishly’s OOO automatic reply garnered positive responses from business partners. “We get some really lovely replies to our out-of-office saying, ‘Oh wow, you’re doing a four-day week—that’s amazing!’” Louise says.

To get an equally positive response, learn more about what to include in an out-of-office message, what to avoid, and how to craft an effective message.

What is an out-of-office message?

An out-of-office message (OOO message) is a pre-written communication that automatically responds to incoming messages. A good out-of-office message helps maintain clear communication about when you’ll be able to respond and who to reach out to if there’s a time-sensitive issue. For example, a business owner attending a trade show could set an automated response to incoming emails that specifies their return date as well as the contact information for another team member in case of urgent issues.

You can write and set out-of-office messages before taking extended time away from your email or phone, such as for vacations or sick leave. These can include voicemails for phone calls, auto-replies to text messages, or (most commonly) email messages. Out-of-office messages manage expectations, telling the recipient when you or others in the company will be able to respond.

What to include in an out-of-office message

When writing an out-of-office email message, there are some standard components that you can include, such as:

• A clear subject line. Include “out of office” or “OOO” in your subject line along with the most relevant information, like a date range for when you’ll be unavailable.

• Your return date. You can include the start date and end date of your absence, or simply the date when you’ll be back in communication.

• The reason for your absence. It can be helpful to include general reasons for why you’re out of the office, like travel, professional commitments, or holidays. You can mention personal reasons for being out of office (like bereavement or sick leave) if you feel comfortable sharing that information, but there’s no need to include any specific details.

• Expected response time. Along with the date when you plan to return, you can include a realistic time frame for when you’ll be able to return communications. For example, you could mention that you’ll return messages “within the week” or “within a few weeks” for a longer absence.

• Alternative contact details. Provide alternative contact information for other team members who can help with tasks that you would typically handle.

What to avoid in an out-of-office message 

Here are a few common mistakes to avoid with your out-of-office messages:

• Making unattainable promises. Avoid overpromising. Saying you’ll reply “within the day” or “as soon as possible” might set expectations you’re not able to fulfill. Especially avoid making commitments for other team members you’re listing as alternative contacts. 

• Providing too much detail. Write short, concise out-of-office auto-reply messages that include only key information without any unnecessary or personal details.

• Using informal language. Although this can vary depending on your company's culture, it’s generally a good practice to use friendly language with a professional tone in your out-of-office messages, rather than using a humorous, sarcastic, or silly tone (as this type of language can be misunderstood over email).

• Leaving in typos. Review your out-of-office messages and fix any misspellings or grammatical errors, especially since it could end up going to dozens or even hundreds of recipients.

Types of out-of-office messages

• Vacations
• Office closures
• Short-term absences
• Limited email access
• Medical leave
• Customer service
• Parental leave
• Bereavement

Explore this breakdown of common types of out-of-office messages, along with example templates that you can use to build your own:

Vacations

Set up an out-of-office email response before taking a vacation. Include key information like when you’ll be gone and who to reach out to while you’re away. Avoid going into details about where you’re taking a vacation or what you plan to do there, both for etiquette and safety reasons. For example, a product manager of an ecommerce company could set an out-of-office message for the week of their vacation and leave information for another marketing executive in the company. Here’s a template of an out-of-office message for vacations:

Hello,

Thanks for your email. I’m on vacation from [start date] to [end date], but if you need urgent assistance, please contact [colleague’s name] at [phone or email address]. I look forward to responding to your message once I’m back in the office.

Best regards,

[Name]

Office closures

If your entire office is closed or most of your team will be unavailable—say, for the holiday season or a company-wide retreat—you can draft an out-of-office message without giving an alternate contact. If you’re able, you can say that you’ll be checking messages sporadically and will only reply to very urgent messages. Try something like this:

Hello,

Thank you for your email. Our office is closed for [reason] from [start date] to [end date]. Our team will be unavailable during this time and will not be checking messages regularly. I look forward to responding to your message after [end date]. For urgent matters, I will aim to respond within a few days.

Best, 

[Name]

Short-term absences

Out-of-office messages can also apply to shorter time frames, like one day or even half a day. For example, you could set a short-term out-of-office message for a company-wide half-day Summer Friday policy, informing customers and business partners that your company is unavailable that Friday afternoon and will return on Monday to respond to any missed messages. Bookishly’s out-of-office emails informing others about their four-day work week are an example of a repeated short-term absence message. Here’s an example template for a short-term out-of-office email response:

Hi there,

Thank you for your message. I’m away from the office today, but I will respond to messages after returning tomorrow on [date]. If you have any urgent concerns that need to be addressed today, please contact [colleague’s name] at [contact information].

Thank you,

[Name]

Limited email access

Use this type of out-of-office message if you’ll only be looking at emails occasionally because you’re at an event, on the move, or need to focus. These messages are designed to notify people that they should expect delayed responses from you during a set period of time while you have limited access to your phone or emails. Here’s an example template for limited email access:

Hi,

Thanks for your message. I will only be checking emails intermittently today, but I will respond when I can. If you have an immediate need, please contact [colleague] at [contact information]. Thank you for your understanding.

Best,

[Name]

Medical leave

Another common type of out-of-office message is used when you have to take sick leave. In these cases, it’s best to leave out specific medical details. If you’re able, set a specific time frame, but if you don’t know when you’ll be back, you can leave this section out. This can also include taking an extended leave for longer medical treatments; in these cases, include the time range where you’re expecting to be out of office, but keep medical details private. For example:

Hello,

I’ll be out of the office for the rest of this month, but I will return to my emails once I’m back. Thank you for your understanding. In the meantime, feel free to direct any questions to [colleague] at [email address].

Thank you,

[Name]

Customer service

If you interface with customers through your work email (like if you’re a solo entrepreneur or manage customer service for your business), design out-of-office emails that reflect your customer-facing brand voice. An ecommerce merchant could use customer-facing out-of-office messages to manage communication expectations with customers, while also using them as a lead generation tool by including a call to action for their business. For example:

Hi there,

Thank you for your email! I’m out of the office this week, but will respond to your message once I’m back on [return date]. If you need immediate assistance with a customer service issue, please reach out to [customer service rep] at [contact details].

In the meantime, you can check out our FAQ page for answers to common questions or sign up for our newsletter to stay in touch with new developments and offerings. 

Kind regards,

[Name]

Parental leave

Another reason for setting an out-of-office message is if you need to take an extended period away from work to handle child care, typically for a newborn. Parental leave can range anywhere from a few days to several months, and you’ll likely hand off responsibility for your projects to someone else on your team. Here’s a template you can use for this type of out-of-office message:

Hello,

I’m on parental leave and will be out of the office until [date]. [Colleague] will be responsible for [your role or projects] in my absence, so please reach out to [him/her/them] directly at [email address].

Thank you,

[Name]

Bereavement

Bereavement involves taking time for the grieving process after losing a loved one, and it’s a valid reason for setting up an out-of-office message to inform customers, clients, or colleagues how long you’ll be unavailable. Use a formal tone, avoid personal details, and keep your message short. If you want to mention that you’re on bereavement leave, you can do so, but it’s also perfectly acceptable to keep this general. Here’s an example template for this type of OOO message:

Hello,

I’m currently on bereavement leave and won’t be able to respond to messages until the week of [date]. Please contact [colleague] at [email address] if you have any immediate questions or concerns.

Thank you,

[Name]