Objective
Away Messages act as auto-responders to inbound messages. When an Away Message is active, and you receive a message, the sender will automatically receive a reply containing your Away Message text.
Symptoms
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How to set up the away message
Eligibility
- You are signed in to the Crexendo messaging application.
- You have access to the Canned Response library.
- You have created at least one Canned Response to use as your Away Message.
Procedure
Away Message Preview
The Away Message status indicator displays your current availability.
EXAMPLE: Available or an active Away Message selection.
You can hover over it to view and select available Away Message options.
Setting an Away Message
NOTE: Away Messages use your Canned Response library as the source of messages to choose from. To set an Away Message, you must have at least one Canned Response created first.
- Open your Canned Response library. Location may vary by app version.
- Select Add or Create New.
- Enter the message you want contacts to receive while you are away.
EXAMPLE: Thanks for your message! I’m currently away and will respond as soon as I can.
- Save the Canned Response.
TIP: Create multiple Canned Responses (e.g., “In a meeting”, “Out of office”, “After-hours”) so you can switch quickly without rewriting your Away Message.
- Locate your status indicator that shows “Available”.
- Hover over the Available status indicator.
- From the dropdown list, select the Canned Response you want to use as your Away Message.
- Verify the status indicator now reflects your selected Away Message instead of “Available”.
TIP: Optionally, you can have a colleague send you a test message to confirm that the auto-reply is sent.
Clear Away Message
When you are ready to stop auto-responding, set your status back to Available.
- Hover over the Away Message status indicator.
- Select Available at the top of the dropdown.
NOTE: If you do not clear your Away Message, the auto-responder will continue replying to inbound messages until you switch back to Available.
Auto-Responder Loops
If you have an active Away Message and a remote auto-responder sends you a message, the system takes steps to prevent both auto-responders from replying to each other indefinitely.
IMPORTANT: Auto-responder loops can quickly increase costs with your VoIP provider.
How Loop Prevention Works
When an Away Message is sent to a contact, the system associates the inbound message body that triggered the auto-response with that contact.
If the same contact sends the same message body again, the auto-response will not be sent a second time.
NOTE: If a remote auto-responder sends messages with unique content each time, it is still possible for auto-responder loops to occur.
Escalation Information
Escalation Information: SD1
If you need additional assistance, contact Crexendo Support at 855-211-2255 or email us at support@crexendo.com
Change Log
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| May 13, 2026 | Article revamped |