How to Write an Automatic Email Response Message

automatic bot 1

I received my first automatic email response message in my teenage life when I applied for a scholarship. To my greatest surprise, I received an instant message confirming my application. As a teenager, I was so amazed by the efficiency of the company offering the scholarship. A year later I realized that it was an automatic email response.

Well, my guess is most of you must have received an email of confirmation when you did some applications online. An automatic email response gives immediate feedback about when an individual or organization will be available to respond to your request.

Automatic email response is a pre-designated reply that is generated by a software program for incoming messages.

The Importance of Auto-Response Email.

  • Automatic email response provides good customer service. The purpose of an automatic email response is to return a prewritten message to anyone who sends an email to a particular email address.
  • One of the ways in which business owners respond to emails when they are unavailable is through automatic email responses. This is very useful as automatic email responses give customers immediate feedbacks. Responding to an email within 24 hours is good etiquette. Responding sooner is better because customers will be assured their concerns are being heard and their needs attended to.
  • An automatic email reply is useful for a variety of situations, for example when people try reaching out to you during your holidays for customer support inquiries or when you are simply swamped with emails. It keeps prospective customers in the loop when you will be able to respond to their emails.

Tips for Writing A Good Automatic Email Response

Despite the benefits of automatic email responses, you might find it difficult to write a simple, smart, and professional automatic email message if you are not accustomed to doing this.

Keep it Friendly and Professional.

Keep the tone of your auto-email response friendly and professional. Greetings should not be excluded. be polite and courteous.

Keep it Short

People don’t like lengthy emails. Always go straight to the point. Avoid lengthy offline messages.

Check your Fonts

Always use a legible font, you can try Calibri, Cambia, Times new Romans or Arial. An 11 or 12 font size is eligible for most people to read with squinting their eyes. Beware of multiple fonts especially when copying and pasting. It can make your offline email look lazy.

Set the Date and Get it Right

Let your customers know the exact time you will be available to respond to their emails. Don’t set dates that are vague, for example, I will be back next month.  Additionally, when writing dates, don’t write in shortcuts. For example, “I will be back by 08/09/2014”, this can have different meanings to different people. To some people, this could mean September 8th while to others, this could be August 9th.  So, ensure you write the exact date and/or time when you will be available in words. This will help avoid confusion on the part of your recipients.

For example, “

I will be available to respond to your emails from the 8th of August 2014”.

Provide an Active Alternative Contact. 

If you are going to be unavailable for a long time. Give an alternative email address where people can actually get quick help, especially if it is an emergency situation. It is proper for you to provide an alternative route where somebody from your organization can meet people’s needs. This alternative email address should be an email address belonging to a colleague who you know will be available while you are away. Don’t give a wrong email address. Ensure the alternative email address is functional and active.

Here’s an example of an automatic email response:

Good day,

Thank you for choosing Global Consult. We are currently on vacation, and we shall resume work on January 2nd, 2017.

You can still reach our 24-hour emergency helpline with the email address – [email protected]. If your inquiry is urgent, please contact Paola by phone on +1 614 776 7865

Thank you and happy holidays.

Global Consult. 

Make your Automatic Email Replies Suitable for All.

Ensure your autoreply is suitable for everyone including first-timers, families, friends, and coworkers. Leave out personal information. When writing an auto-reply email, try as much as possible not to include personal information. Information about your whereabout shouldn’t be made known to the general public. Avoid sharing contact information that you do not want everyone to have.

Example 1  

“I am currently unavailable. I will be back by 2nd of July”.

In this example, “unavailable” could mean you are still in town or in the office attending to something else.

Example 2

“I am currently on vacation in the Bahamas. I will be back by 2nd of July”. 

The mention of your current location is not safe, as everyone who receives the automatic email response will know that you are out of town. They can burgle your home and even do more harmful things to your family before your return.

Use a Simple Signature

This is also an important information and you don’t want the general public to have your signature. Don’t include your standard signature block, containing contact information with a mobile number or office number. Your sign-off should include only your name unless you want your voicemail box filled up or your vacation interrupted by calls on your cell phone.

Proofread

Read through your email response, check spellings and grammars. If you don’t proofread it, remember that anyone who sends you an email why you are unavailable receives an auto-email response message. You don’t want to lose prospective customers because of your bad grammar and spellings.

Conclusion

Automatic email response is a good marketing tool for keeping customers abreast while you are away from work or not on your desk. Never go on vacation without setting up an automatic email response message and remember to turn it off immediately you are available. Just like other professional emails, keep your automatic email responses simple, short, and professional.

Scroll to Top