Contacts and channels
When an auto-reply comes back
«I am away until the 30th» looks like an obstacle and is the opposite: the one time they tell you who to ask.
You send the request and back comes a message saying that person is away for two weeks. The normal reaction is to note it mentally and write again when they return. That wastes the useful part: nearly all those replies carry a name and an address you did not have.
What to do with each kind of auto-reply
| What it says | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| «I am away, write to X» | They are handing you a new contact | Write to X and record it on the card |
| «I am away» and nothing more | Nobody covers, or they will not say | Try another channel if it is urgent |
| «I no longer work here» | The record is out of date | Update it today, not at clean-up time |
| «This mailbox is not monitored» | You were writing to a wall | Change address before chasing |
Important
The third and fourth deserve same-day attention: **an auto-reply is the only way an out-of-date record tells you it is out of date**. Nobody will write to say that address no longer works; only the system on the other side says it, once, in a message that is usually filed unread. Ignore it and that address keeps receiving requests nobody reads for months, while the file looks stalled through the supplier's fault.
What to do when there really is no cover
- 1
Check whether the return date fits what you need
If they are back in three days, often nothing else is needed.
- 2
If it does not, look for someone else at the company
The email domain tells you who else you hold.
- 3
And when you write, explain why it reached them
«X is away and this is due on the 10th» stops a bare forward.
- 4
Reschedule whatever can wait
Better received when it can be dealt with.
Watch out
On chasing someone who has said they are away: **automatic reminders keep going out even after the machine replied**. That person comes back from holiday to four of your reminders stacked on the original request, all dated after their absence notice. It is not merely rude: it is what makes them slower to answer next time. When an absence notice arrives, pause the chasing until the return date.
What is worth harvesting from that message
Worth knowing
If the auto-reply says they have left and gives a new contact, record it as a change of person rather than editing the card over the top: the history must still say who was written to at the time.
›Can I ask the cover for the same thing?
Yes, with context: they almost never know what it is about.
›What if the absence outlasts the deadline?
Write to the cover or the company: deadlines do not pause themselves.
›Is the cover worth saving?
Yes: next year they will be away over the same dates.
A real case
The situation
A company gets an out-of-office notice and lets reminders keep firing for two weeks.
What you do
- Pauses chasing until the return date and writes to the cover named in the message
What you get
The document arrives sooner and the supplier does not return to four stacked reminders.
The situation
An out-of-office auto-reply comes back.
What you do
- Records the return date and reschedules
What you get
The notice arrives when they can act on it.
The situation
The auto-reply names another contact.
What you do
- Updates the contact with the substitute
What you get
The request reaches somebody who can act.
The situation
The auto-reply is taken for an answer.
What you do
- Distinguishes the automatic from the human
What you get
The file's status is true.
The situation
Chasing continues towards somebody on leave.
What you do
- Pauses the chase until they return
What you get
No effort is spent into the void.
The situation
The auto-reply says the address no longer exists.
What you do
- Updates the contact on receipt
What you get
Notices stop getting lost.
This article answers
- the contact is on holiday
- out of office reply
- who do I write to if they are away
- message returned as absent