Email auto-responders automatically send a reply when an email is received. They are commonly used to acknowledge messages, provide basic information, or notify senders that someone is unavailable.
Accessing Auto-responders
To manage auto-responders, go to:
Email → Auto-responders
From this page you can create new auto-responders or edit existing ones.
Creating an Auto-responder
To create a new auto-responder:
- Go to Email → Auto-responders
- Click Create Auto-responder
- Select the email address
- Enter the sender name and subject
- Write the response message
- Choose the sending interval
- Click Save
Auto-responder Fields
- Email – The email account that will automatically send responses.
- Sender – The name that appears as the sender of the automatic reply.
- Subject – The subject line of the response message.
- Character Set – The encoding used for the message (typically UTF-8).
- Interval – Controls how often the system sends replies to the same sender.
- Message Body – The content of the automatic reply.
- HTML Message – Enables HTML formatting in the message.
Responder Interval
The interval prevents the system from sending repeated responses to the same sender within a short period of time.
- Send after each email – Sends a response every time a message is received.
- Once every 6 hours – Sends only one response per sender within a 6-hour window.
- Once every 12 hours – Sends only one response per sender within a 12-hour window.
- Once every 24 hours – Sends only one response per sender within a 24-hour window.
Example Use
A parish office might use an auto-responder like this:
Subject: Thank you for contacting St. Nicholas Church
Message:
Thank you for your message. Your email has been received by our parish office. If your request is urgent, please contact the office by phone. Otherwise we will respond as soon as possible.
Common Uses
- Vacation or absence notices
- Automatic acknowledgment of received messages
- Providing contact information or office hours
- Confirming form submissions or inquiries
Important Notes
- Auto-responders only work for existing email accounts.
- If an account receives large volumes of email, using an interval helps prevent sending excessive replies.
- HTML messages allow formatting such as links, paragraphs, and styling.