How to Set Up an Out-of-Office Auto-Reply the Right Way

An out-of-office (OOO) auto-reply keeps things professional when you are away - setting expectations and pointing people to the right person. Done badly, it can also leak information or annoy senders. Here is how to set one up the right way.

What an out-of-office reply is

An OOO (or "vacation responder") is an automatic reply your mailbox sends to people who email you while you are away. It tells them you are unavailable, when you will be back, and who to contact in the meantime.

What to include

A good OOO reply is short and covers:

That you are away and the dates (at least your return date)
Who to contact for urgent matters - a colleague or a shared mailbox like support@
A realistic response expectation ("I'll reply when I return on the 25th")

Example:

Thank you for your email. I'm out of the office until Monday 25th with limited access to email. For urgent matters, please contact support@yourcompany.com and the team will help. I'll respond to your message when I return.

What to avoid

Don't over-share - avoid detailed travel plans or "I'm in Bali for two weeks." It is an information leak (and a burglary tip).
Don't expose personal contact details publicly - point to a work address or shared mailbox instead.
Don't forget to turn it off - set an end date if your system supports it, or diarise a reminder.

A quiet security note

Attackers watch for OOO replies - they reveal that a decision-maker is away, which is a classic setup for CEO-fraud and fake payment requests to colleagues. Two safeguards help:

Keep the reply vague about your role and whereabouts
Make sure your team knows to verify any unusual payment or bank-change request out of band, even if you appear to have "approved" it by email. See how to spot a phishing email.

Use a shared mailbox for coverage

Rather than naming one overloaded colleague, point urgent senders to a shared mailbox the whole team monitors - so nothing waits on a single person. See shared mailboxes and team collaboration.

Setting it up

Most webmail and mail apps have a "Vacation responder" or "Automatic replies" setting where you enter the message and (ideally) start/end dates. With DigiCloudMail you can set OOO replies per mailbox, and admins can manage coverage across the team.

Want business email with easy auto-replies and team coverage? Contact us.