When I recently broke my ankle, I suddenly needed time off for surgery and recovery. It seemed to make good business sense to let my regular clients know I was going to be unavailable for a set period of time.

So I thought I’d show you the process I go through to let clients know when I need some time off.

🌟 If possible, give your clients 2 days’ notice before going away, whether by phone or email.

🌟 When you are ready to leave, do any or all of the following:
✔ Change your phone and/or email message to “away” and give clients the specific dates/times you will be unavailable.
✔ Send a direct email to each client.
✔ Call them directly if the other options are not preferable or possible.

🌟 For your message content:
✔ Give them the specific dates/times you will be unavailable.
✔ You don’t need to be specific about why you’re away. For example, instead of saying “I broke my ankle and am getting surgery”, you can say “for medical reasons”.
✔ Apologize for any inconvenience (“I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause”.)
✔ Let them know as soon as possible if something occurs while you’re away and you can’t return on the expected date; give them the date you expect to return.
✔ If you like, you can offer to do any “rush” jobs before you become unavailable.

🌟 When you return, you can do any or all of the following:
✔ Remember to turn off your away messages on your phone or email.
✔ Send a direct email to each client informing them you have returned.
✔ Call them directly if the other options are not preferable or possible.

All of the actions I outlined above are basically suggestions that may help you decide how to inform your clients when you’re away. I hope the suggestions are helpful!