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

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-03-20T21:34:53+00:00

    I just find it shocking that Microsoft hasn't figured out a way to have an automatic reply outside of working hours. Like, I'm literally staring at the settings page to set my working days (M-F, check boxes) and times (7am-3:30pm, drop down), but for some reason it's not paired with an out of office message option? I feel like a coder could create this feature in minutes, but here we are years later still asking why this isn't a feature in Outlook.

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-03-26T13:40:38+00:00

    They won't do it just to annoy us.

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-03-26T17:32:14+00:00

    Agreed, this shouldn't be so hard. Had something set up at one pint but the auto reply replied to another account with similar system in place off chance and generated 15,000 emails overnight so not doing that anymore, and then it just stopped working so cant recreate the Powerflow.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-04-17T17:26:02+00:00

    Wow! That's hilarious from where I'm standing! Was this the set up you both had? I was just about to set it up but will wait to hear back from you:

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook_com/forum/all/i-need-a-recurring-automatic-reply/4b21dd73-e561-49a4-bd71-1f647d1a48a2

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  5. Anonymous
    2024-04-19T12:59:34+00:00

    I agree. So many of us work in jobs where we get emails 24/7 expecting a response. We need an easy system to just set up an OOO reply!
    HOW IS THIS NOT BUILT INTO OUTLOOK MICROSOFT???

    I want an OOO that kicks in every day at 5pm until 8am the next day. I want one that kicks in every Friday at 5pm until Monday at 8am.

    This should not be difficult!!

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