IT Tip of the Month – Remember to set your ‘Out of Office’ Message

With Christmas rapidly approaching, most of us will inevitably take a few days off to celebrate.

Of course, that doesn’t apply to everyone, and so you might get work-related e-mails while you’re away. So if you are taking some time off, remember to set your Out Of Office message before you go.

To do so, follow these easy steps

For Microsoft Outlook 2010:

1. Click the File tab, and then click the Info tab in the menu.
2. Click Automatic Replies (out of office).
3. In the Out of Office Assistant dialog box, select the Send Automatic Replies check box.
4. If you want to specify a set time and date range, select the Only send during this time range check box, set the Start time, and then set the End time.
5. In the Inside my organization tab, type the message that you want to send within your organization, and in the Outside my organization tab, type the message that you want to send outside your organization.
6. Click Apply.

For Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and earlier versions:

1. On the Tools menu, click Out of Office Assistant.
2. In the Out of Office Assistant dialog box, click I am currently Out of the Office.
3. In the Auto Reply only once to each sender with the following text box, type the message that you want to send while you are out of the office.

Remember, you can personalise your Out of Office message to say anything you want, so why not spread a little cheer and give it a Christmassy tone!