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** The instructions included here are for Microsoft Outlook Express 5, which is a free e-mail program available to you when you
download Microsoft Internet Explorer. Microsoft Outlook (not Express)
is part of the Microsft Office package that you can purchase, and will
have slightly different instructions for performing the same functions.
We have included a note where the instructions may differ slightly.
When you are going to be out of the office for a day or more, you probably
leave a voice message to inform callers that you will not be able to return
their call immediately. But what about people who communicate by e-mail?
They may wonder why you haven't responded to their message after a couple
of days. A solution to this problem is to create an automated reply to
any message you receive. Before we go any further, there are a few requirements
for this to work:
- You must have a constant connection to the Internet. A connection
that uses a modem to dial up and connect will not work.
- You must leave your computer on and Microsoft Outlook Express open.
(Note: Unless you have an all-in-one system like the iMac, you do not
need to leave your monitor on, only your computer. This will save electricity
and extend the life of your monitor.)
- You must set Outlook Express to check mail automatically at a regular
interval. If Outlook does not already do this, from the Tools pull down menu select Options. Select the General tab
and check the box in front of "Check for new messages every..." Then
set the frequency. Every 60 minutes is sufficient.
Creating
an Automated Reply
- Very Important! Before you set
up an automated reply, you must unsubscribe
or postpone mail from any listservs that
you subscribe to. This is very important
because you do not want your automated
reply sent back the listserv. If you do,
it will be posted and then create a new
listserv message to which you will again
send an automated reply. Please see the
article When
You Go on Vacation for instructions
on temporarily suspending listserv messages
from The Resource Center listservs. For
other listservs
consult the original welcome message or
contact the list administrator.
- Now you need to create your message
that will be sent automatically. Open
Outlook Express and open a new message.
Leave the To: line blank but fill
in the Subject: with something
to indicate this is an "out of the office"
message. In the body of the message give
the basic information that you might give
on a voice message: how long you will
be away and who to contact if the situation
is urgent. Now select File>Save and give the file a name and save it in
a location where you will be able to find
it again.
- In the top menu bar click on Tools and select Message Rules>Mail as shown below (If you are using Micorosoft
Outlook then you would choose Rules
Wizard from the Tools menu.
- If a Message Rules dialogue box
opens, click on the New button.
If this is your first time making a mail
rule, the New Mail Rule box should
open directly as shown below in Step 5.
- Now you need to set conditions for your
new rule. In the first window scroll down
and check the box labeled For all messages.
In the second window scroll down and check Reply with message
. So far the dialogue box should look like
this:
- In the third text box, Rule Description,
you will now specify the message. Click
on the underlined link message.
A dialogue box now appears which you will
use to browse and select the message you
saved as a file in Step 2. Once you have
found and highlighted the message, click
on the Open button and the file
name will now appear in the third window
- Finally, in the fourth text box you
should give this rule a name more descriptive
than "New Mail Rule #1" that will clue
you in to the purpose of the rule when
you go back to turn it off and on, or
to edit it. Delete "New Mail Rule #1"
and then type in your new name (for example,
"Out of Office"). Then click OK.
- Now you should be looking at the Message
Rules dialogue box, but if not use
the Tools menu to get to it as
in Step 3 above. You will see your new
autoreply rule listed along with any others
that you have created. The rule you have
just created will be turned on indicated
by the checked box in front of it. Unless
you are leaving the office at this moment,
you can uncheck the box to turn it off
until you leave. Before you leave though,
you must go back to turn it on again.
Once you return from being away, you should
turn the rule off again.
One Final
Note
You can use this rule
any time you will be out of the office,
but be sure to edit the file you created
in Step 2 to update the information about
when you will be back, etc. |
