The summer period is quickly approaching, and it is important to be able to easily notify everyone who will try to reach you during your absence. Microsoft has made this very easy for anyone using the Microsoft 365 suite. In minutes, you can create an away message that will sync to Microsoft Teams and Outlook, so that both your emails and your calendar are up-to-date!
When you are away from the office for an extended period, it is advisable to activate an automatic absence message. This is a message that is sent to anyone trying to contact you while you are away from the office.
Add an away message on Microsoft 365 (Outlook and Teams) as an automatic response
If you use Microsoft 365 suite software, it is possible to add an away message that will automatically synchronize with all its tools: Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and your calendar!
This can be done very easily by following these steps.
Tutorial to configure your absence message on the desktop or web version:
- If you are using the desktop version of Outlook, click File> Automatic Replies.
- If you are using the web version of Outlook, click the settings icon represented by a cogwheel, then click Show All Outlook Settings. Then choose Mail> Automatic replies.
- Write your personalized away message that will be sent to your colleagues whenever they try to contact you. Don’t forget to add the dates of your absence in the body of the message.
- Activate the date range during which the automatic message will be sent.
- You can then decide which options to activate in your calendar. You can block your calendar for the entire period of your vacation, and also choose to automatically refuse any new invitations to new events.
- Don’t forget to activate the option to send your message to people who do not work in the same organization as you! In your message, in addition to your dates of absence, don’t forget to refer the sender to another person within your organization who can respond to urgent requests.
That’s all! Your automatic message will then be synchronized with Microsoft Teams and your Outlook calendar.
Tutorial for configuring your absence message on the application:
- If you use the Outlook application, click on your avatar icon at the top left > then on the toothed wheel which symbolizes the settings. Then go to Automatic replies, then activate Automatic replies. You now have access to the different possible settings to configure your absence message.
That’s all ! Your automatic message will then be synchronized with Microsoft Teams and your Outlook calendar.
⭐Advice from MS Solutions:
- Don’t forget to add the dates of your absence in your message to notify your colleagues of your return date.
- Remember to designate a contact person during your absence by indicating their email address so that urgent requests can be processed
- Add a bit of humor to make your colleagues smile in your absence or opt for a classic but effective message!
Activate Microsoft Teams voicemail
If you want to take it a step further, you can also turn on Microsoft Teams voicemail so that any contacts trying to call you while you are away will be notified as well.
- In Microsoft Teams settings, choose the Calls option.
- Configure the auto responder rules.
- Click Configure Voicemail.
- Choose to record a voicemail message that will be heard by your contacts, or write your away message that will be read by Microsoft’s text-to-speech.
- Decide whether your contacts can leave you a message, or whether they will just hear your away message and then be disconnected from the call.
- That’s all! You can go on vacation with peace of mind!
In short
Microsoft 365 makes it easy to configure your Outlook and Teams apps to notify your colleagues and contacts when you’re out of the office. The strength of Microsoft 365 lies in its ability to synchronize your tools and provide a seamless user experience. By setting up an out of office message in Outlook, you automatically benefit from this functionality in Teams and throughout your Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Save time and improve your organization with a complete and intuitive solution.
Contact one of our Microsoft specialists now with your questions about the Microsoft 365 suite and its integration or follow a training about Microsoft 365 tools.