32 | Email Auto Replies [TDTH Challenge #2]

The episode focuses on the importance of setting up email auto-replies to enhance professionalism and customer engagement in your t-shirt business. By implementing this small change, business owners can save time, set boundaries, and maintain effective communication without being overwhelmed. 

• Importance of auto-replies for professionalism 
• Building trust and reliability through customer acknowledgment 
• Setting boundaries to maintain work-life balance 
• Time-saving benefits by automating repetitive questions 
• Step-by-step guide for setting up auto-replies 
• Crafting a helpful and friendly auto-reply message 
• Evaluating if auto-replies fit your business needs 
• Challenge: Setting up and sharing your auto-reply situation

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hey y'all, welcome back to the Turn Down the Hustle podcast. This is my second challenge podcast episode, where I am bringing you small, actionable tasks that can make a big difference in your t-shirt business over time. Now I want to remind you, though, this isn't about adding more to your plate. It's actually about making things easier, smoother and, dare I say, more fun.

Speaker 2: 0:29

You're listening to Turn Down the Hustle, the podcast dedicated to transforming how you run your creative online t-shirt business by working smarter, not harder, so you can spend more time with your why, people and passions that matter most in your life. So throw on your favorite graphic tee and turn up the heat. Press, because it's time to turn down the hustle. Here's your host digital marketer. Cold brew lover, t-shirt maker, freckled hype girl and owner of Sunkist Virtual Assistant, amy.

Speaker 1: 1:01

This week's challenge builds on what we've already talked about in episode one setting an away message for your Facebook page. If you haven't tackled that one yet, hit pause, go check it out. That should be the episode just before this one. Go catch up on that one and come back to this one. Today we're shifting focus from social media to your inbox. That's right. It's time to set up an email auto-reply. This one little action can make you like a pro free up your time and your customers feel taken care of all without you lifting a finger. And just like all the challenges in this series, this task comes directly from my product job organizer. So if you love those bite-sized, practical tasks, you can grab even more tools and templates at wwwsunkissedvacom. Forward slash PDO. Okay, this is going to be kind of a refresher from the previous auto reply matter. Before we jump into the how, let's talk about the why.

Speaker 1: 2:07

So why is setting an auto reply so important for your business? The first thing is it builds professionalism. Think about the last time you emailed a business and you didn't hear anything for days. It can be frustrating, right? An email auto reply instantly assures your customers that you've received their message, so they've reached the right inbox, just like whenever you call someone and they don't answer, instead of just saying leave a message, or the automated tone. You're like, oh shoot, I hope I've called the right person. Whenever it's their voice recording, it kind of gives you that reassurance you've reached the right location. So those auto replies can set the tone that you're running a professional, organized business. Who knows it might impress your customers. Even if it's just you running a business with your heat press in a living room while competing for focus time while someone is yelling at NFL games Maybe that's just me, but I have my own dedicated office. But I swear there is not good insulation in our house and it feels like my office is right in the living room. And, like we talked about in the last episode, some customers expect acknowledgement quickly, whether they message you on social or email. So these auto replies can go a long way in building trust and reliability.

Speaker 1: 3:30

Okay, next, why you should set an auto reply? Probably, I think, the most important reason. It sets boundaries, and this is one thing I am really focusing on for 2025. Boundaries are everything on for 2025, boundaries are everything. Running your t-shirt business while working a new five, raising a family or both yeah, you can't be chained to your inbox 24-7. This auto-reply lets you step away without feeling guilty while still keeping your customers informed still keeping your customers informed. Lastly, these auto replies will save time. How much time do you spend responding to repetitive questions like where's my order? When will my order ship? So with those auto replies, you can address some of those FAQs up front and save time for those tasks that actually grow your business, like planning your next product job. I may be biased on that, because I can help with that, and if you need help coming up with your FAQs or finding a way to easily tag your FAQs, stay tuned because the next few episodes are really going to help you.

Speaker 1: 4:42

All right, let's get to the action part of this episode setting up your email auto reply. So if you are a Gmail user, at the timing of this recording you will click the gear icon in the top right corner of your inbox. You're then going to select see all settings, scroll to vacation responder section, toggle it on and then fill in the details and save. If you have a custom domain, like Google, workspace or others, the process should be similar, but you might need to log into your admin console If you're using a platform like GoDaddy or Bluehost. They usually have some tutorials that you can probably find to help you set this up. So a plug for a custom domain email address I highly recommend. If you are still rocking the SunkissedVA at gmailcom, I highly recommend you convert it to a custom domain email address like amy at sunkissvacom, and you can do that through. I highly recommend you have a professional email address for an extra polished look. And if you don't have one yet, go back to my episode on why you need a custom domain email address. It is episode 28 and it will give you all the tools and steps you need to make that happen.

Speaker 1: 6:09

All right, now it's time to craft that auto reply message. What are you going to put in this message? So I recommend breaking it up into three parts, the first thing being a friendly greeting, like something that says hey, girl, or whatever is your brand tone. Maybe it's welcome what your brand tone is. Mine is usually very friendly and formal, things like that. Next, some clear information. So let them know when can they expect a response and where can they find quick information and maybe common questions that they may have, and then always give them like a next step. I guess you could say a call to action. You might not have thought of including this in your auto replies, but it's very helpful. You can redirect them to your site, a product page or order tracking page for faster service. So I love reminding my customers, one, of the turnaround time and two, if they've asked if their order is shipped or if it's ready for pickup, if they go log into their account they can see all of their order history and then see what's the status of their order. That's at least for Shopify. If you need help on crafting an auto reply message kind of giving you like a little template to get some creative juices flowing in the show notes, you can head to that.

Speaker 1: 7:24

I do want to take a second to talk about whether or not this auto reply for your email is right for your business. There might be some people that decide to forego this challenge, and that's totally okay. This would be a great fit for you. If you get a lot of emails or repeat questions or even inquiries outside business hours, that's probably a no-brainer for you to set this up. It will keep your customers informed and even when you're away maybe they can still get the service they need. But if you're a one-person shop with a small, manageable email volume, or if you love the personal touch of responding to every email, this might not be for you, and that's okay.

Speaker 1: 8:10

Also, think about what do you like. Do you like whenever you email brands and you get an auto response like, hey, thank you for your email, we have received it, a team member will be back with you within 48 hours, something like that? Do you appreciate that? If so, then I would use the same concept for your that. Do you appreciate that? If so, then I would use the same concept for your business. If you're like oh, that's annoying. Remember, automation should work for you and it should not work against your brand. We want it all going in the right direction, right? If it feels impersonal or doesn't align with how you want to run your business, just skip it. Or you can can, of course, tweak this to fit whatever your brand vibe is.

Speaker 1: 8:48

Okay, here's the challenge. You ready? Step one set up your email auto reply. Two I want you to test it by sending yourself an email. Can we read it? Is it big enough text? Is it too big? I want you to test that out.

Speaker 1: 9:04

Step three I want you to share the message you set up in your stories or on social and please tag me at Sunkiss Virtual Assistant. I want to cheer you on and I want to see your challenge completion. If you are a product organizer club member, make sure you check out the Facebook group and find this respective challenge post and screenshot your completion so I can give you credit for it. I am really passionate about helping you create systems that's going to help you in the long run. So, while this is a minor task to set up, it could really compound and save you time in the long run. If you're loving these challenges so far, then let me tell you you will really love my product job organizer. Not only does it include automation tips like this, but it also helps you plan and execute your t-shirt launches and keep your marketing on point. Check out product job organizer on my website and take the stress out of running your business.

Speaker 1: 10:06

Okay, so that's it for this week's Turn Down the Hustle Challenge Setting up an email auto-reply. It might seem small, but it is a huge step towards working smarter and not harder. Remember, if you're taking on this challenge. I definitely want to hear about it. Tag me in your progress. Definitely want to hear about it. Tag me in your progress, reply to this email or you can share on my Facebook page. Thank you for listening and I'll see you next Monday with another actionable challenge.