Lets be honest. Vacation is my favorite time of the year. Sunny skies and beaches. I always love and look forward to my time away from work. But a nice rejuvenating vacation takes some preparation and work. I am going to share the out of office medical sales tips I have learned over the years.
What Is A Good Out Of Office Automatic Reply?
Fist off, you need to set an informative and automatic out of the office email. Microsoft Outlook allows you to set a reply for both internal and external communications (customers). This needs to include:
- The dates you will be gone
- The date you will return
- If you will be accessible or not
- The appropriate contacts for a customer to reach out to while you are gone
- Contacts (phone and email) for customer service
Related: Medical Device Sales Lifestyle
Out Of Office Message For Vacations
Over time you will get better at anticipating the types of requests that will come up while you are gone. The reality is most things can wait. There is always a customer that will try to make an emergency out of something routine. This is not a good reason to have your vacation interrupted.
Prior to vacation, I do my best to tell customers that I will be out of the office. I try to wrap up loose ends before going out. Yes, new requests will always come up. These can wait a week or so.
Related: Medical Device Sales Work Life Balance
Professional Out Of Office Examples
A professional out of office medical sales email response is somewhere in between the two extremes in the video below! In all seriousness, check out this article from Woculus with twelve examples of professional out of the office emails.
Best Time For Sales Reps To Take Vacation
Also, be strategic about vacation. Take time off when business is slow. This will be different for everyone. In my line of work the beginning of July is dead. So I take my time off around the July 4th holiday.
Business has changed over the years. Some customers seem to expect an immediate response. If they see an auto reply email they will try to call or text you. This is why it is important to also set an out of the office voicemail and text response. This should include all of the same information that is in the out of the office email.
Related: Life Of A Traveling Medical Sales Rep
Out Of Office Text Messages
Here is how you can setup an out of the office text on the latest iOS update.
- Go to the “focus” tab under settings
- Select driving
- Click “Auto-reply”
- Type your OOO message
- Then toggle on the driving focus status
All of these tips help to support a strong and professional out of the office experience. This means you can enjoy your vacation and know that your customers are getting what they need.