How do I set up an email autoresponder?

Setting Up an Email Autoresponder

An email autoresponder automatically sends a pre-defined reply to incoming emails. This is useful for vacation notices, acknowledgment messages, or informing contacts about changes to your email address. This guide explains how to set up and manage autoresponders in your dotCanada.com cPanel account.

Common Uses for Autoresponders

• Out of Office/Vacation Notices: Inform senders that you're away and when you'll return
• Acknowledgment Messages: Automatically confirm receipt of inquiries or support requests
• Business Hours: Notify senders of your operating hours and response time expectations
• Email Address Changes: Inform contacts that you've moved to a new email address
• Information Requests: Provide immediate informational responses (e.g., price lists, hours, FAQs)

Setting Up an Autoresponder in cPanel

1. Log in to your cPanel account at https://{hostname}.mysecureservers.com:2087
2. In the search box at the top, type "Autoresponders" or navigate to the EMAIL section
3. Click on Autoresponders
4. Click Add Autoresponder
5. In the "Add Autoresponder" form, enter the following information:
   • Character Set: Leave as UTF-8 (default) unless you need a specific character set
   • Interval: How often the autoresponder should reply to the same email address
     • Default is 24 hours (recommended to prevent excessive replies)
     • You can set this from 1 hour to several days
   • Email: Select the email account for this autoresponder
     • Enter the username portion (e.g., "info" for info@yourdomain.com)
     • Select the domain from the dropdown
   • From: The name that appears in the "From" field of the autoresponse
   • Subject: The subject line of the autoresponse email
6. Start: Choose when the autoresponder should begin
   • Immediately
   • Custom start time (for scheduled absences)
7. End: Choose when the autoresponder should stop
   • Never (until manually disabled)
   • Custom end time (for temporary absences)
8. HTML: Enable this if you want to use HTML formatting in your message
9. Body: Enter the message that will be automatically sent
   • If HTML is enabled, you can use formatting, links, and basic HTML elements
   • If HTML is disabled, enter plain text only
10. Click Create/Modify to save your autoresponder

Sample Autoresponder Messages

Thank you for your email.

I am currently out of the office and will return on [Date]. I will have limited access to email during this time.

For urgent matters, please contact:
[Colleague's Name]
[Colleague's Email]
[Colleague's Phone]

I will respond to your message as soon as possible upon my return.

Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Position]
[Company Name]
        

Thank you for your message.

This is an automated response to let you know we've received your email.

Our business hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time. If you've contacted us during business hours, we'll respond as soon as possible. Emails received after hours or on weekends will be addressed on the next business day.

For urgent matters, please call our customer service line at [Phone Number].

Regards,
Customer Service Team
[Company Name]
        

Thank you for your email.

Please note that this email address will no longer be monitored after [Date]. Please update your records and send future correspondence to my new email address:

[New Email Address]

Emails sent to this address after [Date] may not receive a response.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Best regards,
[Your Name]
        

Managing Existing Autoresponders

To view, edit, or delete your existing autoresponders:

1. Go to Autoresponders in cPanel
2. You'll see a list of all your active autoresponders
3. Each autoresponder will show:
   • The email address it's associated with
   • The subject line
   • Start and end times
4. To edit an autoresponder, click the Edit button next to it
5. To delete an autoresponder, click the Delete button next to it

Important Considerations

• Response Interval: Set an appropriate interval (usually 24 hours) to avoid spamming the same sender with multiple replies
• Professional Messaging: Keep autoresponses concise, professional, and relevant
• End Date: Remember to set an end date for temporary autoresponders or manually disable them when they're no longer needed
• Avoiding Loops: Some email systems also have autoresponders, which could create reply loops. The interval setting helps prevent this
• Testing: Send a test email to yourself to verify the autoresponder works correctly

If you need assistance setting up or troubleshooting email autoresponders, please contact our support team.