Setting
up an Automatic
Reply rule
in Outlook 2003
***as-250-left.shtmlIn
this practical guide I assume that you have set up a
specific mailbox for support requests, called something like support,
and that Outlook™ is able to receive e-mails sent to that
mailbox.
Make
sure you have selected the Inbox, and choose the Tools menu.
Then select Rules and
Alerts…
The Rules and
Alerts window
is shown. Choose the New Rule… button
to create a new rule. The Rules wizard window appears. Select radio
button Start from blank rule. The
option Check messages when they arrive
is
chosen by default.
It should look this:
Click on the button Next > to set the conditions. With this you will define to which incoming mails this rule applies.
For this example, only one condition will be set. Remember that we wanted to send a reply to all mails sent to support? So, scroll down the list under step 1 until you see the option sent to people or distribution list. This will add this condition under Step 2, where you now can click on people or distribution list (See? It’s underlined).
In the Rule Address window you can select an e-mail address from your address book or contact list. However, I don’t have my own support mail address in the list, so I just type the e-mail address in the field next to the To ‑> button. Click OK when you’re done.
If all is well, it should look like
this:
Time to click on Next >, because now we’re ready for some action!
Again, there’s Step 1, where you select the action, and below that Step 2 where you fill in the specifics.
Select Reply message for action in a number of days. I also like to flag the message for action, so I also check flag message for action in a number of days.
Your screen should look something like
this:
Click on a specific template under Step 2, and a dialog box pops up where you can select the reply template you made previously. The window starts to look in Standard Templates but here you need to select User Templates in File System.
Select the support reply template you saved earlier, and click Open. The Rules Wizard window will change to reflect your selection.
Next, for setting the follow up flag, click on action in a number of days. In the dialog box, Follow up is selected by default. In the By: field enter a value of 1 days. Click OK.
All specifics are set. Choosing Next > would allow you to choose
exceptions for your rule, but
since we don’t want that now, click on Finish.
That’s it! Your system is now set up to send out an automatic reply whenever it receives a message to your support inbox. One note, however. Outlook™ must be up and running, and checking mail regularly.
Here's the screen shot of the Rules and
Alerts window, after creating the rule: 
Two more tips: If you like, you can change this rule, if needed, by selecting the Change Rule button. And if, for some reason, you want to deactivate the rule, just uncheck the checkbox next to the rule.
More uses for Rules
Maybe you have set up a number of mailboxes: one for support, one for sales, one for the webmaster, etc.
With rules, you can automatically forward the mail to a specific person in your business responsible for that specific mailbox. This is very simple to do. Just select forward it to people or distribution list as an action. Enter the e-mail address and hey presto! Automatic mail forwarding.
Combining rules you can build a complex set of rules to help you manage and automate your inbox. Describing all possibilities goes beyond this guide, but if you study all options, and experiment a bit, Outlook™ can make handling your e-mail much more efficient!
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Additional Microsoft Outlook 2003 Guide Sections
CHAPTER
2 Automatic Reply on Receipt (BACK)
Whatever interval you choose, it's just common courtesy to let your
customer know these two things, as soon as you receive the mail...
CHAPTER
3 Keep Track of your Customers (NEXT)
Keeping track of customers is important, if you don't want to look silly.
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