Creating an Automatic Email Response

Oftentimes, we find ourselves providing the same information in an email. This may be in response to a general inquiry. For example, when parents send an email asking for the yearly supplies list. You may copy the list and paste the information into a reply message and hit the send button. However, this still takes work. 😅

Gmail offers a feature to create an email template that will contain your email response. You will enter a specific subject to the template message and ask others to use that subject when messaging you about that topic. The subject will trigger the template to be sent. Whenever I think of using Gmail’s Automatic Email Response, I recall the Rice Krispie advertisement. If you need a quick laugh, click here to view. 😆

There are two parts in setting up your Automatic Email Response:

Create the Email Template
Create the Advanced Email Filter

Create Email Template

COMPOSE an email and the message you want to send when receiving a message about a specific topic. Be sure to add a SUBJECT. The SUBJECT will need to be used by the person submitting an email to you to trigger the automatic message.
At the lower right corner of the screen, click on the MORE button.
Select TEMPLATES from the menu.
Select SAVE DRAFT AS TEMPLATE and then select SAVE AS NEW TEMPLATE.
Enter a NAME for the template.
CLOSE the email draft message by clicking on the X in the right corner.

Create Advanced Email Filter

From Gmail, click on the downward arrow in the SEARCH BAR.
Enter the Subject that you included in the template. Then, click on CREATE FILTER.
Check the box SKIP INBOX if you want the message to be moved to a label automatically and skip the INBOX.
Check the box APPLY THE LABEL if you want the message to be assigned a specific label. Select the label. Or, create a new label.
Check the box for SEND TEMPLATE. Select the template you want to send.

The filter form may look similar to the below example:
Click on the CREATE FILTER button.