The Boston School, Zrich

www.thebostonschool.com

Business English Skill Sheet

Out of Office Email

Tips & Reminders
When to use one .When you are out of the office and unable to respond to email for extended periods due to vacation, leaves of absence, or other purposes, you need to set up an auto-reply message for your incoming emails that notify senders of your plan for responding to their emails.

Ones To Avoid
Incorrect use of the date

Ones To Use
Simple

I will be out of the office starting Thank you for your e-mail. 09/08/2007 and will not return until 23/08/2007. I am out of the office till Monday, 16th of July 2007 and your email In Europe and many other will not be forwarded. places in the world, 09/08/2007 means August 9th, 2007. Should the matter be important, please contact XXXX XXX ( email In the US, the month comes address) in my absence. before the day so would be understood as the 8th of Best regards September, possibly causing Your Name some confusion.. Mixing up your language with English A little more formal Dear Mail Sender,

Never disclose personal information Thieves can use personal information contained in 'out of office' auto-reply emails and cross-referencing it with publicly available personal information to target empty houses It can and does happen.

Thank you for your message. Sorry I'm not in the Office until 20th of Mai and I have no access to my Emails. In urgent cases please contact XXXX. (Phone +41 .... Email: xxxx) Freundliche Grsse XXX XXX

Thank you for your mail. I will be out of office from today and will be back on Tuesday, May 29th. I will have limited access to my e-mail during this period. In my absence, please feel free to contact XX XX on +41 44 302 7838 or e-mail XXX@thebostonschool.com . Thank you for your understanding. Best regards, Your Name My personal favourite Thank you for your email. I am out of the office from [DAY, DATE] to [DAY, DATE] and unable to respond at this time. I will review your message following my return on [DAY, DATE]. If you need immediate assistance, contact [Name, phone number and email address]. Thank you for your understanding. Best regards, Your Name

Remember who will receive the out of office email This may seem unimportant, your sender could be an important business relationship. Therefore avoid the use of jokes or saying you will be lying on the beach enjoying the sun whilst others work

Use of slang or incorrect English *** BIZ trip until 12. Sept 2007 *** *** please contact XX XXX *** *** for urgent calls: +41 xx xxx xxx *** The use of asterisks, biz instead of business project an informal relationship which may not be in line with your corporate standards.