Yuka Kato
You’re planning to be out of the office but don’t want to leave your customers, clients, or co-workers wondering where you are. Out-of-office emails are a tool that can help your workplace communicate as effectively as possible.
In this article, we’ll cover what out-of-office emails are and how to structure them effectively with 18 templates for different tones and real-world situations.
What is an Out-of-Office Email?
An out-of-office (OOO) email is an automatic message you set up to notify people who email you that you won’t be available to respond for a duration of time.
OOO emails are most commonly used in professional business settings to update clients, customers, or coworkers about your availability when you’re gone for an extended time, such as on vacation. Therefore, while writing one, ensure your tone is professional and tailored to the intended recipient to ensure it makes the best impression.
The typical OOO message will include details like when you’ll be back and able to respond and how your contacts can get help if they need immediate assistance, such as reaching out to the company’s customer service line.
You’ll usually want to keep this message short, between 75-150 words, to avoid adding unnecessary information and make it easy to understand.
While these messages might sound complicated to set up, email productivity software makes it easy to deploy in fast-paced business environments. Plus, you can take steps like syncing Gmail with Outlook to manage all your messages in one place, making it even more efficient.
When to Use Out-of-Office Emails
Setting up OOO emails that automatically reply to people is one of the best ways to master email productivity and limit the hours you spend managing your inbox when you aren’t working. After all, you don’t want to have your vacation or an important appointment disrupted by continuous work emails.
Here are some of the best times to use these emails to manage your work-life balance:
- When you’re going on vacation or taking a personal day
- During the holidays
- When you’re sick
- When you encounter a family or personal emergency
- After normal business hours
- During maternity or paternity leave
The structure and tone of an OOO message can vary depending on the reason you’re sending it. Later in this article, our OOO email templates will provide options for each of these scenarios to ensure you structure yours successfully. And the best part is that you can use Gmail templates to create your OOO messages quickly.
Parts of a Perfect Out-of-Office Email
Now that you understand the purpose of OOO emails, let’s review the general structure to ensure yours is as successful as possible.
Write a Clear Subject Line
The subject line is the first thing recipients will see when they get your OOO message. Aim for a clear and concise subject line so recipients know what your response is about. You don’t want them to miss your notification when they might be getting tons of other business messages during the day.
Some examples of effective OOO subject lines would be “Out of Office from 12pm-3pm” or “On Vacation from 7/18-7/23.” Subject lines like these that give a reason for the message and a range of times or days will help recipients immediately know what the message is about and get a general overview of when you’ll be back even before they open it.
State That You’re Currently Unavailable
Within the first couple of sentences of your message, you should state that you aren’t available to respond to messages at this time. This will ensure you don’t spend too much time on unnecessary details that might not be relevant to your recipient.
Some emergencies are personal, and you might prefer to keep the details to yourself, so don’t feel like you have to give a super specific reason why you’re unavailable. You can stick to something simple in your message, such as “I’m unavailable at this time due to an emergency.”
Give the Contact Information of Who is Covering Your Tasks
After stating you’re unavailable, you should provide contact information for the co-worker or department covering your tasks while you’re away. Typically, you’d include an email or phone number here. This information will reassure professional contacts or customers who need immediate help.
Say When You’ll Be Back in the Office
As you wrap up the message, it’s a good idea to mention when you’ll be back in the office and available for contact again. This will usually be a specific date or time of day, depending on the nature of your message. That way, your contacts can mark down when they can reach out again.
You could also state an estimated amount of time you think it’ll take to respond to everyone after returning to the office to avoid a hectic first day back. For instance, you could say, “I’ll get back to you with a follow-up response within two business days after I return to work on the 19th.”
Out-of-Office Email Templates for Every Situation
As mentioned earlier, the structure and tone of OOO emails can vary depending on different scenarios and recipients. For instance, you might be able to use a more casual tone with co-workers you’ve worked with for a long time, whereas writing a more professional email template will be better when responding to clients or customers.
The following templates will help you structure yours for different scenarios with professional, casual, and customer-facing options for each.
Vacation Out-of-Office Templates
Professional Template
Subject line: Out of Office Until [Vacation end date]
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out. I’ll be on vacation from [vacation start date] to [end date] and am unavailable to respond during that time.
If you need immediate assistance or have an urgent question, you can contact [contact person’s name] by phone at [phone number] or via email at [email address].
Otherwise, I’ll be back in the office on [return date], and you can expect a follow-up response from me within two business days. Thank you, and I look forward to speaking with you then.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Casual Template
Subject line: On Vacation Until [Vacation end date]
Hi,
I’m on vacation until [vacation end date] and unavailable to respond until I return.
[Contact person’s name] is covering for me this week, so you can reach out to them at [contact person’s phone number] or [contact person’s email address] if you need help immediately.
I’ll be back in the office on [return date], so you can reach me then. Thanks, and I’ll talk to you soon!
Best,
[Your name]
Customer-Facing Template
Subject line: Out of Office from [Vacation start date to end date]
Hello,
Thanks for reaching out tot [company name]. I’m currently on vacation from [vacation start date] to [end date] and unavailable to respond until I return.
You can contact our customer care team at [department phone number] or [department email] for immediate assistance.
I’ll be back in the office on [return date], so feel free to reach out to me then. Otherwise, I’ll be going through my emails, and you can expect a reply within two business days of my return with any inquiries that couldn’t be handled by customer care.
Thank you,
[Your name]
Emergency Out-of-Office Templates
Professional Template
Subject line: Out of Office – Emergency
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately, I’m unavailable to respond right now due to an unexpected emergency.
If you need immediate assistance, please contact [contact person’s name] at [contact person’s phone number] or [contact person’s email address].
I’m expecting to return to the office on [expected return date], so you can reach out then, or I should be able to follow up on any questions within two business days of my return. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Casual Template
Subject line: Out of Office Due to an Emergency
Hello,
Unfortunately, an emergency came up, and I’m not available to respond right now.
If you need help right away, [contact person’s name] is currently covering for me and can be reached at [contact person’s phone number] or [contact person’s email].
I expect to be back in the office on [expected return date or time]. Feel free to reach out then, or I’ll respond to any questions in a day or two when I return. Thanks for understanding!
Best,
[Your name]
Customer-Facing Template
Subject Line: Out of Office – Emergency
Hello,
Thanks for contacting us at [company name]. Due to an emergency, I’m not available to respond right now.
For immediate help, please contact [contact person or department name] at [phone number] or [email address].
I expect to return to the office at [expected return date or time]. Please feel free to reach out to me then, or I’ll follow up on any questions within two business days of my return. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Maternity and Paternity Leave Out-of-Office Templates
Professional Template
Subject line: Out of Office Until [Return date]
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out. I’m unavailable to respond right now because I’ll be on maternity leave until [return date].
Until that time, any inquiries will be handled by [contact person’s name], and you can reach them at [contact person’s phone number] or [contact person’s email address].
Thank you, and I’ll talk to you soon when I’m back in the office.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Casual Template
Subject line: Out of Office for Paternity Leave Until [Return Date]
Hi,
I’ve recently had some exciting news in my life and will be on paternity leave until [return date], so I’m unavailable to respond for the time being.
If you need help, [contact person’s name] will be covering for me at this time. They can be reached at [contact person’s phone number] or [contact person’s email address].
Thanks,
[Your name]
Customer-Facing Template
Subject line: Out of Office Until [Return date]
Hello,
Thank you for contacting [company name]. I’m unavailable to respond right now because I’m on maternity leave until [return date].
Until then, you can contact [contact person or department name] at [phone number] or [email address], and they can help with all your inquiries.
Thank you,
[Your name]
Holiday Out-of-Office Templates
Professional Template
Subject line: Out of Office for [Holiday name] Until [Return date]
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out. I’m unavailable to respond right now since I’m taking some time off for [holiday name].
Due to the holiday, we’re running at a slower pace since most of our staff is taking time off. However, if you have immediate inquiries, you can reach out to [contact person’s name] at [contact person’s phone number] or [contact person’s email]. They will be available between [available times of day] to help with any urgent needs.
Otherwise, I’ll be back in the office on [return date]. When I return, you can expect a follow-up email within two business days. Thank you for your understanding and patience.
Best regards,
[Your name]
Casual Template
Subject line: Out of Office for [Holiday name] Until [Return date]
Hi,
Thanks for reaching out, and happy holidays! I’m taking some time off from [start date] to [end date] for [holiday name], and I’m unavailable to respond.
For any urgent requests, please contact [contact person’s name]. They’ll be available for minimal hours on [times of day] to help with emergencies.
I’ll be back in the office on [return date] and will make sure I get back to you within a couple of days of returning. Thanks for your patience, and have a wonderful holiday if you’re celebrating.
Best,
[Your name]
Customer-Facing Template
Subject line: Out of Office for [Holiday name] Until [Return date]
Hello,
Thanks for contacting [company name]. I’m out of the office right now for [holiday name] and unavailable to respond.
If you have immediate needs, our customer care team still has limited hours to assist from [times of day]. You can contact them at [phone number] or [email address].
I’ll be back in the office on [return date] and will follow up on all messages within two business days of returning. Thank you for your understanding and patience.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Sick Leave Out-of-Office Templates
Professional Template
Subject Line: Out of Office – [Your name]
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately, I’m not feeling well and will be out of the office until [estimated return date], so I’m unable to respond.
In the meantime, if you have immediate needs, you can contact [contact person’s name] at [phone number] or [email address].
Once I’m back in the office, I’ll make sure to follow up with your message. Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Casual Template
Subject line: Out Sick
Hi,
Unfortunately, I’m out sick right now, and I’m not available to respond. I expect to return to the office on [expected return date].
If you need help with anything, [contact person’s name] is covering for me. Please reach out to them at [email address] or [phone number].
Thanks for your patience, and I look forward to speaking with you once I feel better!
Best,
[Your name]
Customer-Facing Template
Subject line: Out of Office Until [Expected return date]
Hello,
Thanks for contacting us at [company name]. Unfortunately, I’m on sick leave and won’t be able to respond until [expected return date].
If you have immediate questions or needs, you can contact [contact person or department name] at [phone number] or [email address], and they’ll be happy to help.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
After Hours Out-of-Office Templates
Professional Template
Subject line: Out of Office Until [Return time or day]
Hello,
Thanks for reaching out. We’re closed right now, and I won’t be available to respond until [return day].
For urgent needs, you can contact [contact person’s name], who is on call at [phone number] or [email address] until we reopen.
I will make sure I follow up between [work hours] on [return date]. Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Casual Template
Subject line: We’re Closed for the Day Until [Return day or time]
Hi,
Thanks for reaching out. Our office is closed for the day, and I’m unavailable to respond.
If you need to speak to someone right now, [contact person’s name] is available at [email address] or [phone number].
Otherwise, I’ll be back in the office on [return date] during our normal business hours from [times]. I’ll make sure to follow up between [times] on [return date]. Thanks for understanding!
Best,
[Your name]
Customer-Facing Template
Subject line: Out of Office – After Hours
Hello,
Thanks for contacting [company name]. Our office is closed until [return day and time], and I’m not available to respond right now.
Please contact [contact person or department] at [phone number] or [email address] if you need help right away, and they’ll be happy to assist.
Otherwise, I’ll follow up on this message between [times] on [return date] and can help you then.
Thank you,
[Your name]
Keep Others Informed with Effective Out-of-Office Email
OOO emails are a great tool for keeping clients, customers, or co-workers informed in professional settings. Following the templates and tips in this article will ensure you create a successful email whenever you need to set one up.
While you have the know-how to create a great OOO email, some of your clients or co-workers might not use them. That’s why tools like Mailsuite can come in handy to know when someone opens your email or clicks on links inside it so you know whether to follow up or give it a bit more time. It’s another tool to ensure you use your time as productively as possible at work.
You can get started with Mailsuite today to start optimizing your email productivity and management.
