Get an out of office reply before you send a message?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wallace White
  • Start date Start date
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Wallace White

We use Outlook 2000 with Exchange at work. Occasionally, I write a
detailed message to someone within the company, only to get an out of
office autoreply explaining that he or she is gone for weeks. It would
be nice if you knew that when you started writing--just as in voice
mail, the outgoing message may tell you the person is out before you
leave a long message that will be irrelevant by his return.

I know I could open the recipient's calendar beforehand to check; that's
just tedious enough that I usually don't bother. Maybe I should send all
messages as meeting requests. ;)

Just checking, in case there's some nifty feature that would help with
this. Something like the way that, while creating an appointment, you
may get a warning that the appointment occurs in the past.

Thanks,
Wallace
 
No, there is no way for Outlook/Exchange to know to whom you are sending an
item to tell you beforehand that they are not available.

After all, you have to place the call to the person to get the VM message
that they are out of the office - Outlook/Exchange operate exactly the
same - you must initiate the contact before you are told they are not in.


--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. Due to
the (insert latest virus name here) virus, all mail sent to my personal
account will be deleted without reading.

After searching google.groups.com and finding no answer, Wallace White
asked:

| We use Outlook 2000 with Exchange at work. Occasionally, I write a
| detailed message to someone within the company, only to get an out of
| office autoreply explaining that he or she is gone for weeks. It would
| be nice if you knew that when you started writing--just as in voice
| mail, the outgoing message may tell you the person is out before you
| leave a long message that will be irrelevant by his return.
|
| I know I could open the recipient's calendar beforehand to check;
| that's just tedious enough that I usually don't bother. Maybe I
| should send all messages as meeting requests. ;)
|
| Just checking, in case there's some nifty feature that would help with
| this. Something like the way that, while creating an appointment, you
| may get a warning that the appointment occurs in the past.
|
| Thanks,
| Wallace
 
Well it doesn't HAVE to be that way, Milly.
When you select a recipient, it's very likely that that's the person the message's going to. :)
Sometimes there's a neat little trick somewhere or a little-used feature that needs to be discovered.
The calendar does it.
(Outside the square....)
 
Pete said:
Well it doesn't HAVE to be that way, Milly.
When you select a recipient, it's very likely that that's the person
the message's going to. :) Sometimes there's a neat little trick
somewhere or a little-used feature that needs to be discovered. The
calendar does it. (Outside the square....)
Click to expand...

OK, but what if they turned on "out of office" and didn't put the
corresponding something in their calendar? The two are not at all related.
Milly Staples said:
No, there is no way for Outlook/Exchange to know to whom you are
sending an item to tell you beforehand that they are not available.

After all, you have to place the call to the person to get the VM
message that they are out of the office - Outlook/Exchange operate
exactly the same - you must initiate the contact before you are told
they are not in.


--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. Due to
the (insert latest virus name here) virus, all mail sent to my
personal account will be deleted without reading.

After searching google.groups.com and finding no answer, Wallace
White asked:
We use Outlook 2000 with Exchange at work. Occasionally, I write a
detailed message to someone within the company, only to get an out
of office autoreply explaining that he or she is gone for weeks. It
would be nice if you knew that when you started writing--just as in
voice mail, the outgoing message may tell you the person is out
before you leave a long message that will be irrelevant by his
return.

I know I could open the recipient's calendar beforehand to check;
that's just tedious enough that I usually don't bother. Maybe I
should send all messages as meeting requests. ;)

Just checking, in case there's some nifty feature that would help
with this. Something like the way that, while creating an
appointment, you may get a warning that the appointment occurs in
the past.

Thanks,
Wallace
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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