• Automatic Replies
• Procedure
  • Outlook
  • Teams
• Information to Include
  • Overview
  • Example #1
  • Example #2
• Teams Integration
• Outlook Calendar

Automatic Replies

When out of the office, the best practice is to use the Automatic Replies feature in Outlook.

Procedure

Outlook

To use the Automatic Replies feature in Outlook, please refer to this campus KB article (Microsoft 365 (Outlook on the web | Outlook for Windows/MacOS) - Automatic Replies).

For more information about best practices around using your Outlook calendar, please refer to this campus KB article (Microsoft 365 (Outlook on the web | Outlook for Windows/Mac) - Best practices when using the calendar).

Teams

To set a status message in Teams, please refer to this Microsoft support article.

Information to Include

Overview

The message you choose to set via the Automatic Replies feature in Outlook should include the following information:

• An indication that you are out of the office.
• The time frame you expect to be out of the office or the day / time you expect to return.
• Optional: who to contact--and how to contact them--while you are out of the office.

Example #1

I am out of the office through [Date / Time] but will periodically be checking email.

Example #2

This is an automated response.  I am out of the office through [Date / Time] and will not be checking email.  If you need immediate assistance, please contact [Alternate Contact Name & Phone Number / Email Address].

Teams Integration

The message you choose to set via the Automatic Replies feature in Outlook will also appear when someone attempts to contact you via Teams.

Your message will appear when another user hovers over your avatar in Teams.

Teams also pulls information from your Outlook calendar and automatically updates your status to:

• Available if your Outlook calendar is free of meetings and events;
• Busy if your Outlook calendar has a meeting or event scheduled; or
• Out of Office if your Outlook calendar indicates you're out of the office.

You can also manually set a status and message in Teams if you prefer.  Messages can be set to apply for a specific period of time, but statuses until you manually change / reset them in Teams.  If you manually set a status or if you manually set a message that never expires in Teams, it will override any Automatic Replies information you may have set in Outlook.

Outlook Calendar

Add an event to your Outlook calendar for the date & time you'll be out of the office.  For example, if you'll be out of the office from 1:00pm to 2:00pm on a given Monday, add a one-hour event to your Outlook calendar for that date & time, then change the event from "Busy" to "Out of Office."

If you know you'll be out of the office ahead of time, let your colleagues know, and change your RSVP status for any meetings that will occur while you're out of the office to "Decline."