Don’t forget to change your “Out of Office” settings! With the holidays quickly approaching, a lot of us will be leaving our offices for extended periods of time due to holiday schedules, family gatherings, and holiday vacations. But just because we aren’t there, doesn’t mean the work stops. Emails, calls, and other memos will still try to reach a person, regardless if they are physically at work or not. Stay on top of all your business communications, and set up your out-of-office notifications today.

Here at MTI, we value the meaning of vacation, and understand that it’s difficult to try to work while enjoying your time off. With enabled out-of-office notifications, you’re able to remind people that you’re away, and can get back to their messages or inquiries at a later time. This leaves you less at risk for contact short of harassment from people who may think you’re ignoring their calls or emails.

We also value the meaning of the word “easy”, which is why we’ve found these shortcuts for your out-of-office notifications for three different office applications—Outlook/Exchange, Google, and IBM/Lotus Notes. Choose your program, and follow the steps as they coordinate with your program of choice.

For Microsoft Office Outlook and Exchange 2013 and 2010

1. Click the File tab, and then click the Info tab in the menu.Collapse this imageExpand this image
2. Click Automatic Replies (Out of Office)Collapse this imageExpand this image
3. In the Automatic Replies 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. Then 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 OK.
7. If you selected the “Only send during this time range” option in step 4, the Automatic Replies (Out of Office) feature will continue to run until the date and time set for the End Time in step 5 is reached. Otherwise, the Automatic Replies (Out of Office) will continue to run until you repeat step 1 and select the “Do not send automatic replies” option.

For Google

1. Click on the “gear” icon, which is usually in the upper right corner of your window.
2. Click on Mail settings.
3. The Settings page will open to the General tab.
4. Scroll down to the Vacation responder section.
5. The default is Vacation responder off. Click Vacation responder on.
6. In the First Day field, enter the date to begin replying with your out-of-office message.
7. In the Ends field, enter the date to stop replying with your out-of-ofice message.
8. In the Subject field, enter the subject line for your out-of-office message.
9. In the Message field, enter your customized out-of-office message.

• Most people will have the notification sent to everyone. However, you can limit your reply to only people in your contact list.

Set up your out-of office notifications today to ensure you get all of your messages and updates while you’re out of the office this holiday season! And if you need any assistance, our technicians will be glad to help! Give us a call today to update your settings!