How to Leave an Out of Office Greeting

Keep your positive professional reputation by recording a specfic greeting when out of the office.

It's wise to record an out of office greeting on your office voicemail if you're going to be out for an extended period of time. An out of office greeting is a professional way to help manage your clients' and colleagues' expectations of when you'll return their calls. Without one, they might believe you're ignoring their calls and that can negatively impact your business and professional reputation.

Instructions

1. Write your message. The actual message you leave is up to you; but, it should include your name, the dates you'll be out of the office and what callers can do if they need immediate assistance. It's also good idea to set an expectation of when you'll return calls. Your message should look something like this:

   "Hello, you've reached the office of (your name). I will be out of the office from (date) to (date) and will not be checking voicemails. I will return all messages once I return to the office on (date). If you need immediate assistance, please contact (name and contact information of colleague). Thank you."

2. Practice your greeting. A good rule of thumb is to read it out loud at least three times so you'll feel comfortable recording it into your voicemail system. You might notice grammatical or other errors when reading aloud that you didn't catch on paper.

3. Record your greeting. Refer to the specific instructions for your company's voicemail system to understand the process. Listen back to your recording to make sure you're speaking clearly and include all of the information in your greeting. Record your greeting until you're satisfied.

Tips & Warnings

• Some voicemail systems allow different voice greetings for different types of callers. For example, you might want to record one greeting for client and another message for colleagues. Refer to your voicemail system instructions to learn if that's possible with your particular system. If so, draft out-of-office messages for each.

• When you return to the office after your absence, don't forget to re-record your outgoing message - retaining an out-of-office greeting after the date of your return also sounds unprofessional.

References

• Everything Voicemail: Sample Voicemail Greetings
• Miss Mentor: Office Phone Etiquette

Resources

• Salary.com: Business Phone Etiquette Guide