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Ann Handley

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My Out Of Office Auto-Responder

Well, this is a disappointment.

You dispatch an email to me only to have a response im-frickin-mediately — Holy cats! That. Was. Fast!!

Then you realize it’s just a dumb auto-responder. Nothing remotely personal about it.

The bitter truth rises in your gut when you realize: Ann’s on vacation — not holed up (as she usually is) just waiting for something to respond to. Like your email.

Point being, I’m unavailable.

(I just switched confusing between first and third person, if you noticed. Things are running fast and loose this week, aren’t they?)

Point also being, even if you tried to hide your disappointment and resulting hot tears of frustration at my absence, you’d be powerless. Am I right?

There, there. Buck up. I’ll be back. Next week. And I’ll do my best to get back to you then. Or maybe before.

I will be checking email and Twitter and Instagramming and Vining periodically (as the socially addicted among us tend to do).

So if it’s REALLY critical (and please think hard and long before you deem it so…), let me know? Maybe add an exclamation point or a red flag when you resend.

Or attach a nice bottle of wine to get my attention. I like the earthier reds.

I’m back at my desk on Monday, February 25. Eyes bright, tail bushy. I look forward to talking to you then, if not before!

Your friend,

Ann

Filed Under: Annarchy, Annecdote, Business, Humor, Travel

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ric Dragon says

    February 22, 2013 at 2:31 pm

    Hi,
    Your out-of-office auto-response has reached my out-of-office auto-response. Since these ridiculous people that set us up are away, how about you and I grab a glass-o’ or a cuppa sometime? You know, while the cats away and all that.
    -Ric Dragon’s auto-responder

    Reply
  2. DJ Waldow says

    February 22, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    One of my favorites, as you know.

    Reply
  3. Ann Handley says

    February 22, 2013 at 4:23 pm

    Ric – What I really love is that your auto-comment got stuck in my spam filter! LOL…

    Reply
  4. Craig Rosenberg says

    March 1, 2013 at 1:37 pm

    I love this. What else can I say? I just do.

    Reply
  5. Christian says

    May 29, 2013 at 4:59 pm

    Your Out of Office-Responder is a nice one!

    Reply
  6. Raluca says

    July 2, 2014 at 3:59 pm

    Oh this is one of the best OOO responses I’ve seen, one that I actually read! Usually I stop after “I am out-of-the…”

    Here is mine, and yes, I really will be out of the office until August 25.

    Hi!
    I am currently out of the office. If your email is urgent, you can panic now.
    At the moment, I am most likely 1) On the beach, 2) Sipping a cocktail, or 3) On the beach sipping a cocktail.
    While I have full access to my phone, I do not intend to use it for work. If your email is an absolute emergency, my colleague ______ knows how to reach me. Bribe him with gummy bears.
    However, I may be checking my emails here and here, but don’t hold your breath. Instead, I will be tweeting and posting Instagrams, so you can always find me there.
    I am back in the office on Monday, August 25. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can after I return and #latergram all the pictures I haven’t uploaded while away.

    Ralu

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. My Out of Office Auto-Responder | Social Butterfly Guy says:
    March 4, 2013 at 7:48 pm

    […] writing my own, I asked my friend Gini Dietrich to do it for me. After all, along with Ann Handley (read Ann’s latest here), Gini writes some of the funniest, most creative out of office auto-responders. I mean, her last […]

    Reply
  2. Do You Get Creative With Your Out Of Office Auto-Reply? | Raluca Tarcea says:
    July 2, 2014 at 4:38 pm

    […] But that’s content for another post. In the meantime, smile a little at Ann’s out of office auto-reply. […]

    Reply
  3. 10 Ways to Deal with the Stupid Amount of Email You Get says:
    January 21, 2015 at 10:01 am

    […] One exception: Vacation autoresponders. I’m a fan. […]

    Reply

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