Automatic Auto-Reply?

[kinell]

Hello,
We are using Small Business Server 2003 Standard edition and MS Exchange,
plus Outlook 2003 on 6 client machines.

Can Outlook be configured to start up the 'Auto-Reply' service when the
user shuts Outlook down at the end of the business day? We run a business
that operates 24-hours per day but some customers send emails to staff 'out
of hours' and get annoyed when they don't get a reply!

Is there any downside to using 'Auto-Reply'? For example, replying to any
spam that gets past the 'Junk Mail' filter.

Thanks in advance
kinell

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Hello,
We are using Small Business Server 2003 Standard edition and MS
Exchange, plus Outlook 2003 on 6 client machines.

Can Outlook be configured to start up the 'Auto-Reply' service when
the user shuts Outlook down at the end of the business day? We run a
business that operates 24-hours per day but some customers send
emails to staff 'out of hours' and get annoyed when they don't get a
reply!

Out of Office autoreply.

Is there any downside to using 'Auto-Reply'? For example, replying to
any spam that gets past the 'Junk Mail' filter.

Yes - mail loops. I wouldn't open up autoreply to the Internet - you don't
need it for Out of Office (although you do need to open up OOF autoreply to
the Internet in Exchange System Manager)