Introduction

This article explores how to automate recurring out-of-office replies in Gmail to maintain seamless communication, even when you're not actively monitoring your inbox. In today’s digital-first world, timely communication is more critical than ever, especially outside standard working hours. As organizations increasingly rely on email to handle customer support, sales inquiries, and internal coordination, setting up a recurring out-of-office (OOO) reply in Gmail becomes essential for managing expectations and maintaining credibility.

Unfortunately, Gmail lacks native features to send an automated reply when you are out-of-office or to differentiate between after-hours, weekends, and holidays. As a result, many teams are stuck with manually enabling and disabling Gmail’s vacation responder, a process that’s not only tedious but also prone to human error. Forgetting to turn it ON (or OFF) can lead to missed messages, frustrated customers, and damaged professional relationships.

Additional challenges arise when businesses want to personalize responses based on different timeframes, like separate replies for weekends and weekdays or need to provide alternate contact information during unavailability. These scenarios make the need for automated recurring out of office reply Gmail solutions even more urgent.

That’s where xFanatical Foresight steps in. Foresight enables users to set recurring out of office replies in Gmail with precision and flexibility. Whether it’s automating replies after work hours, every weekend, or on specific days of the week, xFanatical Foresight ensures your communications stay professional, timely, and hands-free.

Illustration for automated recurring out of office reply in gmail with xFanatical Foresight
Illustration for automated recurring out of office reply in gmail with xFanatical Foresight

Let’s dive into this article and learn how you can take control of your inbox with automated Gmail responses tailored to your business schedule with xFanatical Foresight.

Introducing xFanatical Foresight Automation

xFanatical Foresight Automation is a powerful tool designed to streamline Google Gmail management by automating various day to day tasks. Think of xFanatical Foresight as your silent productivity partner working behind the scenes to keep your communication smooth and timely, even when you're off the clock. With Foresight, you can move beyond Gmail’s one-size-fits-all vacation responder and unlock powerful, recurring automation capabilities. Whether you're stepping away every evening, every weekend, or have a recurring midweek break, xFanatical Foresight makes sure your contacts get the message literally.

xFanatical Foresight allows you to automate recurring out-of-office replies in Gmail with remarkable precision. It’s like programming your inbox with business hours, ensuring your availability is respected and your professionalism remains intact no matter what your calendar says.

Automation Setup Instructions

This section will walk you through the automation setup in xFanatical Foresight. We have 2 ways to set up automation rules, Set up automation from a template and Set up automation from scratch. After completing the automation rule, verify whether the automation meets your requirements. Let’s explore each method in detail and auto set recurring out of office replies in Gmail with xFanatical Foresight.

Set Up Automation From a Template

Set Up Automation From a Template

Supported plans: xFanatical Foresight Elite plan.

  1. Sign into xFanatical Foresight with your Google account. 
  2. Go to the Templates page.
  3. Search for Automated recurring out of office reply in gmail template and click on it.
    The automated recurring out of office reply in gmail template card in xFanatical Foresight
  4. In the Templates > Automated recurring out of office reply in gmail page, click Copy rule.
    Click copy rule button from automated recurring out of office reply in gmail template details page
  5. For the first time use of the template rule, an dialog Action needed will display requesting necessary permissions required to copy the rule. Click Connect with Google and authorize the permissions.
  6. Upon authorization, a dialog titled Copy of Automated recurring out of office reply in gmail will display.
  7. In the Edit trigger > Recurring times screen,
    Recurring times edit trigger screen to update default start time for the first occurrence of vacation responder automation
    1. In Start time, update the default time to the first occurrence of vacation responder to be turned on.
    2. (Optional) In End time, set time for ending the recurring OOO automation.
    3. Click Next.
  8. In the Edit actions > If action screen,
    The If edit actions screen to update default branch conditions values based on recurring out-of-office hours
    1. Update Monday to Thursday and Friday branches based on your recurring out-of-office hours.
    2. (Optional) Click Add branch and set new branches using Current Day of Week variable for a variety of email responses.
    3. Click Update vacation responder action from Monday to Thursday > Then condition.
  9. In the Edit actions > Update vacation responder action screen,
    Update vacation responder edit actions screen to update default email subject and body content as needed
    1. In Subject, customize the subject of the automated email response for OOO.
    2. In the Email body, customize the body content of the automated email response.
    3. Click Update vacation responder (1) action from rule graph.
  10. In the Edit actions > Update vacation responder (1) action screen,
    1. In Subject, customize the subject of the automated email response.
    2. In the Email body, customize the body content of the automated email response.
    3. Click Review.
  11. In the Review screen,
    The rule review screen to customize the default rule name when creating automated recurring out of office reply in gmail from template
    1. In Rule name, customize the automation rule name.
    2. Click Create.
  12. The rule is created in the Rules page.
    The workflow diagram of copy of automated recurring out of office reply in gmail
    Workflow diagram of copy of automated recurring out of office reply in gmail with xFanatical Foresight
Set Up Automation From Scratch

Set Up Automation From Scratch

Supported plans: xFanatical Foresight Elite and Professional (Legacy).

  1. Sign into xFanatical Foresight with your Google account. 
  2. Go to the Rules page. 
  3. Click the New Rule new rule button button.
  4. In the Select a trigger screen, select Recurring times trigger.
    Recurring times trigger to run actions periodically in xFanatical Foresight
  5. In the Edit trigger > Recurring times screen,
    The recurring times edit actions screen to update start time and repeat frequency for ooo repl
    1. In Start time, select an initial time to start the automation. This will be the first time Foresight automatically turns on the out-of-office (OOO) reply for you.
    2. In Repeat every, set the recurring schedule based on how often you want to activate out-of-office (OOO) in Gmail,
      • If you want to activate out-of-office once a week, set it to repeat every 1 week.
      • If you want to activate out-of-office multiple times a week, set it to 1 day.
    3. (Optional) In End time, set time for ending the recurring OOO automation.
    4. Click Next.
  6. On the Select an action screen, select If action.
    The IF action to execute different actions based on conditions
  7. In the Edit actions > If screen,
    The If edit actions screen to add monday to thursday and friday branch in xFanatical Foresight
    1. Update the Branch 1 name to Monday to Thursday.
    2. In Monday to Thursday > If condition,
      1. Select Current Day of Week from dropdown list.
      2. Select is between.
      3. Enter 1 and 4.
    3. Click Add Branch.
    4. Update the new Branch 1 name to Friday.
    5. In Friday > If condition,
      1. Select Current Day of Week from dropdown list.
      2. Select is equal to.
      3. Enter 5.
    6. Click Add next action from Monday to Thursday branch.
  8. On the Select an action screen, select Update vacation responder action.
    Update vacation responder action to update the gmail vacation responder settings in xFanatical Foresight
  9. In the Edit actions > Update vacation responder screen,
    Update vacation responder edit actions screen to select vacation start time and give permissions in xFanatical Foresight
    Update vacation responder edit actions screen to select vacation start time and give permissions in xFanatical Foresight
    1. For the first time use of the trigger, click Sign in with Google to grant xFanatical Foresight necessary permissions to automate on behalf of your Google account.
    2. Mark Enable vacation responder as checked, to allow Gmail automatically replies to messages.
    3. In Start vacation at, click The v-icon to select variables and select the Current Datetime variable.
    4. In End vacation, set After to 16 hours.
    5. In Subject, write the subject of the automated email response for OOO.
    6. In the Message field, write the body content of the automated email.
    7. Click If action at above the add next action button or from the rule graph.
  10. In the Edit actions > If screen, click Add next action from Friday branch.
    The If edit actions screen's friday branch to click add next action button for selecting new action in xFanatical Foresight
  11. On the Select an action screen, again select Update vacation responder action.
  12. In the Edit actions > Update vacation responder (1) screen,
    1. Mark Enable vacation responder as checked.
    2. In Start vacation at, click The v-icon to select variables and select the Current Datetime variable.
    3. In End vacation, set After to 2 days 16 hours.
    4. In Subject, write the subject of the automated email response.
    5. In the Message field, write the body content of the automated email.
    6. Click Review.
  13. In the Review screen,
    The rule review screen to enter the rule name when creating automated recurring out of office reply in gmail automation
    1. In Rule name, enter a rule name.
    2. At last click Create.
  14. The automation rule is created.
Verify Automation

Verify Automation

To ensure that your rule setup functions correctly, it’s crucial to perform a simple test. The steps outlined below demonstrate how xFanatical Foresight automates the process of recurring out-of-office replies in Gmail without any hassle.

Note: For demonstration purposes, please set the Start time field in the Recurring times trigger to 15 minutes from now.

  1. (Optional) Sign into Gmail, at the top right click Setting Gear > See all settings > Vacation responder. Currently the “Vacation responder off” setting is turned off.
    The gmail vacation responder setting screen with vacation responder off setting
  2. Sign into xFanatical Foresight with your Google account. 
  3. Wait until the configured trigger time, you will receive a notification in the top right of xFanatical Foresight. In the notification message, click View log.
    Receiving in-app notification for successful execution of copy of automated recurring out-of-office reply in gmail automation rule
  4. In the Logs > Log details page, the Rule history section explains the automation history and task xFanatical Foresight has automated on behalf of your Google account.
    The copy of automated recurring out of office reply in gmail automation history in xFanatical Foresight, including the automation data, trigger event and action history.
  5. Additionally verify auto turned on “Vacation responder off” setting of Gmail by xFanatical Foresight.
    Auto turned on vacation responder setting with personalized auto reply message in gmail by xFanatical Foresight
  6. (Optional) Send an email to yourself from another account, the sender’s Gmail inbox will receive a personalized out-of-office reply message.
    The received automated personalized out of office reply in Gmail sent by xFanatical Foresight.

Notes

  • Once the automation rule is set up, xFanatical Foresight will seamlessly manage recurring out-of-office replies in Gmail by enabling or disabling the vacation responder based on your defined schedule. No manual effort is needed. xFanatical Foresight eliminates the time-consuming task of remembering to update your out-of-office settings every day or week.
  • While setting up the automation from a template, an "Action Needed" dialog appears, prompting you to whitelist xFanatical Foresight for Gmail access without Google verification. Know more why whitelist xFanatical Foresight?
  • Both rule setup allow customization of the email subject and body. Click to utilize variables and personalize the email content with relevant information.
  • This automation uses two email templates, one for after-hours replies on workdays and another for weekends. Adjust timing in If action branch’s condition for other cases.
  • Both rule setup allow customization of the If action branch’s name and conditions. Update default values or enter new content as per your requirement.
  • This automation does not account for holidays, so manual adjustments are required for holiday-specific responses.
  • The rule will automatically run daily from the configured start time. To turn on vacation responder just once a week, simply adjust the "Repeat every" setting in the Recurring times trigger.
  • At each time a rule is executed, you will receive a notification in the app telling you how it has happened to your rules and whether rules ran successfully or not.

Conclusion

Setting up a recurring out-of-office reply in Gmail doesn’t have to be manual, messy, or forgotten anymore. With xFanatical Foresight, you can fully automate out-of-office replies in Gmail, ensuring your contacts are always informed even when you're not at your desk. This automation not only saves you time and effort but also upholds the professional standards your team and clients expect.

From handling after-hours emails to managing recurring days off, Foresight gives you the tools to take full control of your Gmail autoresponders. Stay responsive. Stay reliable. And most importantly stay focused on what truly matters, while your Gmail handles the rest.

If you have yet to install xFanatical Foresight, check out this quick start.

Try a 14-day free trial with xFanatical Foresight and manage your tasks.

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