How can I set up a recurring automatic reply during specific hours?

Anonymous
2024-01-31T22:31:14+00:00

I work in an industry where my clients may require urgent assistance outside of normal business hours. My business engages a third party to handle after-hours emergencies on behalf of the team, but we often receive complaints that clients cannot easily access the after-hours emergency contact number, despite it being available on our website and our after-hours voicemail. In most cases, clients will call the team and disregard the voicemail, then follow up with an email complaining that we're unavailable.

It would be beneficial to have the option to set up an automatic reply where the after-hours contact information is sent to clients when our staff are emailed between 5pm and 8:30am, 5 days per week.

I have tried using the rules feature and fiddled around with the automatic reply feature, but neither would allow me to set up a recurring automatic reply without setting a start and finish date/time. I also checked whether it's possible to synchronize an automatic reply with my calendar block-outs, but this wasn't possible either.

Any guidance would be appreciated.

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

74 answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2024-02-27T19:48:47+00:00

    Hi, I am in a similar situation here as the business hours are changing and it is important to notify the customers. However, the options I see available with Microsoft are generic and has to be a manual approach on turning it on and off. I can schedule automatic but not for multiple days example: Monday to Friday different timings and Saturday for different (don't have an option to include multiple days or entries).

    Kindly let me know the solution for this or if there is any turn around.

    Was this answer helpful?

    60+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2024-02-23T02:05:57+00:00

    Hi Eleni

    Is there a chance this will be something that is developed? I am in a similar situation working part-time; I like to set an out-of-office on my non-working days, Monday/Thursday, and it becomes annoying to have to turn it on when I leave on Friday and Wednesday and then remember to turn it off on Tuesday and Friday.

    Was this answer helpful?

    200+ people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2024-02-02T15:01:52+00:00

    Hi KGGS,

    Good day.

    Thank you for posting to the Microsoft Community. We are glad to assist.

    You can set up a recurring automatic reply during specific hours in Outlook by configuring the automatic replies in the new Outlook client.

    Go to SettingsThen AccountThen Automatic Replies. 

    1. Select the Turn on automatic replies toggle.
    2. Select Send replies only during a period, and then enter start and end times.
    3. Under Send automatic replies inside your organization, enter the message to send while you're away. (You can use the formatting options for text alignment, color, and emphasis.)
      To set up automatic replies to other people, select Send replies outside your organization, then add a separate message for that audience.
    4. When you're done, select Save.

    unfortunately, there is no easy way to make the recurring automatic reply you need to enable this manually.

    Should you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me. Look forward to hearing from you.

    Please understand that our initial response may not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

    Best regards,

    Community Moderator

    Was this answer helpful?

    3 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2024-02-01T00:12:48+00:00

    Dear KGGS,

    Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community. We are happy to assist you.

    We are looking into your situation, we will update the thread shortly.

    Appreciate your patience and understanding and thank you for your time and cooperation.

    Sincerely,

    Sherry | Microsoft Community Moderator

    Was this answer helpful?

    3 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments