An "Out of Office Assistant" is a feature or function in software applications, especially in email clients or calendar applications, that allows users to manage and communicate their absence or temporary unavailability. The out of office assistant notifies senders that the recipient is temporarily unavailable and may not be able to respond to their messages immediately.
Typical functions of software in the "Out of Office Assistant" domain include:
Activation and deactivation: The software allows users to activate the out of office assistant when they are unavailable and deactivate it when they return.
Custom messages: The software allows users to create custom out of office messages, specifying the duration of their absence and optionally providing additional information or instructions.
Automatic replies: The software sends automatic replies to senders who send a message to the absent user, informing them that the recipient is temporarily out of the office and may not be able to respond to their message immediately.
Personalization options: The software offers personalization options for the out of office assistant, such as the ability to create different out of office messages for internal and external contacts or specify specific settings for the frequency of automatic replies.
Time-based activation: The software allows users to set the period for activating the out of office assistant, so it starts and ends automatically at a specific time without requiring manual intervention from users.
Exceptions and filters: The software provides options for setting exceptions or filters for the out of office assistant, such as the ability to exclude certain senders or messages from the automatic reply.
Notifications: The software notifies users of incoming messages during their absence, allowing them to review messages or prioritize urgent messages when they return.
Logging: The software automatically logs all automatic replies and activities of the out of office assistant, providing users with an overview of sent replies and received messages.