Outlook Auto Response Set Up

How To set an auto response in Outlook. 

If you are going to be out of town for the holidays it’s always a good idea to set an auto response letting your customers know when you will return and in the case of emergency, who to call.

If you use Microsoft Exchange you can use the “out of office” reply found at this link

Here’s how:

Where to begin if you are setting up an email auto response
Outlook Home Page

Step 1:
Open Outlook, and press “New E-Mail”
  

Step 2: 
Write up your away message as if you were writing a standard E-mail.  This is what your contacts are going to recieve when they E-mail you.

Type your auto response message here
Outlook email template

Step 3:
When you’re done, hit File, then Save As, then press Save as type, and select Outlook Template

Save your auto response
Outlook save message

Step 4:
Close the E-mail once it’s saved as an Outlook Template, then navigate to outlook and press File, then press Rules and Alerts

Set up your rules and alerts here
Outlook Rules and Alerts

Step 5:
Select the New Rule button

Set up your new rule for your auto response
Outlook New Rule

Step 6:
Press “Apply Rule on Messages I receive”

Select the rules for your auto response
Outlook Rule Select

 

Select the rules for your auto response
Outlook Rules

Step 7:
Select “where my name is in the To or Cc box”

Step 8:
Select “reply using a specific template” then point your mouse over “specific template

Select the template for your auto response
Outlook Reply template

Step 9:
In Look In: select the drop down arrow, and change Outlook to look in “User Templates in File System”

Select your response template
Outlook Response Templates

Step 10:
Ignore this screen, and hit next

Select if there are any exceptions for your auto response
Outlook Exceptions

Step 11:
Create a name for your Rule.  I called mine “Holiday Away Message”.  Be sure not to turn on the Rule until you leave for vacation!  Press Finish.

Apply your auto response rule
Outlook Auto Response

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