January 20, 2025 • 11 mins
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
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey y'all, welcome back to the Turn Down the Hustle
podcast.
This is my second challengepodcast episode, where I am
bringing you small, actionabletasks that can make a big
difference in your t-shirtbusiness over time.
Now I want to remind you,though, this isn't about adding
(00:22):
more to your plate.
It's actually about makingthings easier, smoother and,
dare I say, more fun.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
You're listening to Turn Down the Hustle, the
podcast dedicated totransforming how you run your
creative online t-shirt businessby working smarter, not harder,
so you can spend more time withyour why, people and passions
that matter most in your life.
So throw on your favoritegraphic tee and turn up the heat
.
Press, because it's time toturn down the hustle.
Here's your host digitalmarketer.
(00:51):
Cold brew lover, t-shirt maker,freckled hype girl and owner of
Sunkist Virtual Assistant, amy.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
This week's challenge builds on what we've already
talked about in episode onesetting an away message for your
Facebook page.
If you haven't tackled that oneyet, hit pause, go check it out
.
That should be the episode justbefore this one.
Go catch up on that one andcome back to this one.
Today we're shifting focus fromsocial media to your inbox.
(01:22):
That's right.
It's time to set up an emailauto-reply.
This one little action can makeyou like a pro free up your
time and your customers feeltaken care of all without you
lifting a finger.
And just like all thechallenges in this series, this
(01:42):
task comes directly from myproduct job organizer.
So if you love those bite-sized, practical tasks, you can grab
even more tools and templates atwwwsunkissedvacom.
Forward slash PDO.
Okay, this is going to be kindof a refresher from the previous
(02:02):
auto reply matter.
Before we jump into the how,let's talk about the why.
So why is setting an auto replyso important for your business?
The first thing is it buildsprofessionalism.
Think about the last time youemailed a business and you
didn't hear anything for days.
It can be frustrating, right?
An email auto reply instantlyassures your customers that
(02:26):
you've received their message,so they've reached the right
inbox, just like whenever youcall someone and they don't
answer, instead of just sayingleave a message, or the
automated tone.
You're like, oh shoot, I hopeI've called the right person.
Whenever it's their voicerecording, it kind of gives you
that reassurance you've reachedthe right location.
So those auto replies can setthe tone that you're running a
(02:50):
professional, organized business.
Who knows it might impress yourcustomers.
Even if it's just you running abusiness with your heat press
in a living room while competingfor focus time while someone is
yelling at NFL games Maybethat's just me, but I have my
own dedicated office.
But I swear there is not goodinsulation in our house and it
(03:13):
feels like my office is right inthe living room.
And, like we talked about inthe last episode, some customers
expect acknowledgement quickly,whether they message you on
social or email.
So these auto replies can go along way in building trust and
reliability.
Okay, next, why you should setan auto reply?
Probably, I think, the mostimportant reason.
(03:35):
It sets boundaries, and this isone thing I am really focusing
on for 2025.
Boundaries are everything onfor 2025, boundaries are
everything.
Running your t-shirt businesswhile working a new five,
(03:56):
raising a family or both yeah,you can't be chained to your
inbox 24-7.
This auto-reply lets you stepaway without feeling guilty
while still keeping yourcustomers informed still keeping
your customers informed.
Lastly, these auto replies willsave time.
How much time do you spendresponding to repetitive
questions like where's my order?
When will my order ship?
So with those auto replies, youcan address some of those FAQs
(04:18):
up front and save time for thosetasks that actually grow your
business, like planning yournext product job.
I may be biased on that,because I can help with that,
and if you need help coming upwith your FAQs or finding a way
to easily tag your FAQs, staytuned because the next few
episodes are really going tohelp you.
(04:42):
All right, let's get to theaction part of this episode
setting up your email auto reply.
So if you are a Gmail user, atthe timing of this recording you
will click the gear icon in thetop right corner of your inbox.
You're then going to select seeall settings, scroll to
(05:03):
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'reusing a platform like GoDaddy or
(05:23):
Bluehost.
They usually have sometutorials that you can probably
find to help you set this up.
So a plug for a custom domainemail address I highly recommend
.
If you are still rocking theSunkissedVA at gmailcom, I
highly recommend you convert itto a custom domain email address
(05:44):
like amy at sunkissvacom, andyou can do that through.
I highly recommend you have aprofessional 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 emailaddress.
It is episode 28 and it willgive you all the tools and steps
(06:07):
you need to make that happen.
All right, now it's time tocraft that auto reply message.
What are you going to put inthis message?
So I recommend breaking it upinto three parts, the first
thing being a friendly greeting,like something that says hey,
girl, or whatever is your brandtone.
Maybe it's welcome what yourbrand tone is.
(06:28):
Mine is usually very friendlyand formal, things like that.
Next, some clear information.
So let them know when can theyexpect a response and where can
they find quick information andmaybe common questions that they
may have, and then always givethem like a next step.
I guess you could say a call toaction.
You might not have thought ofincluding this in your auto
(06:50):
replies, but it's very helpful.
You can redirect them to yoursite, a product page or order
tracking page for faster service.
So I love reminding mycustomers, one, of the
turnaround time and two, ifthey've asked if their order is
shipped or if it's ready forpickup, if they go log into
their account they can see allof their order history and then
see what's the status of theirorder.
(07:11):
That's at least for Shopify.
If you need help on crafting anauto reply message kind of
giving you like a littletemplate to get some creative
juices flowing in the show notes, you can head to that.
I do want to take a second totalk about whether or not this
auto reply for your email isright for your business.
There might be some people thatdecide to forego this challenge
(07:34):
, and that's totally okay.
This would be a great fit foryou.
If you get a lot of emails orrepeat questions or even
inquiries outside business hours, that's probably a no-brainer
for you to set this up.
It will keep your customersinformed and even when you're
away maybe they can still getthe service they need.
(07:54):
But if you're a one-person shopwith a small, manageable email
volume, or if you love thepersonal touch of responding to
every email, this might not befor you, and that's okay.
Also, think about what do youlike.
Do you like whenever you emailbrands and you get an auto
(08:16):
response like, hey, thank youfor your email, we have received
it, a team member will be backwith you within 48 hours,
something like that?
Do you appreciate that?
If so, then I would use thesame concept for your that.
Do you appreciate that?
If so, then I would use thesame concept for your business.
If you're like oh, that'sannoying.
Remember, automation shouldwork for you and it should not
work against your brand.
We want it all going in theright direction, right?
(08:37):
If it feels impersonal ordoesn't align with how you want
to run your business, just skipit.
Or you can can, of course,tweak this to fit whatever your
brand vibe is.
Okay, here's the challenge.
You ready?
Step one set up your email autoreply.
Two I want you to test it bysending yourself an email.
(08:58):
Can we read it?
Is it big enough text?
Is it too big?
I want you to test that out.
Step three I want you to sharethe message you set up in your
stories or on social and pleasetag me at Sunkiss Virtual
Assistant.
I want to cheer you on and Iwant to see your challenge
completion.
If you are a product organizerclub member, make sure you check
(09:20):
out the Facebook group and findthis respective challenge post
and screenshot your completionso I can give you credit for it.
I am really passionate abouthelping you create systems
that's going to help you in thelong run.
So, while this is a minor taskto set up, it could really
compound and save you time inthe long run.
If you're loving thesechallenges so far, then let me
(09:43):
tell you you will really love myproduct job organizer.
Not only does it includeautomation tips like this, but
it also helps you plan andexecute your t-shirt launches
and keep your marketing on point.
Check out product job organizeron my website and take the
stress out of running yourbusiness.
(10:06):
Okay, so that's it for thisweek's Turn Down the Hustle
Challenge Setting up an emailauto-reply.
It might seem small, but it isa huge step towards working
smarter and not harder.
Remember, if you're taking onthis challenge.
I definitely want to hear aboutit.
Tag me in your progress.
Definitely want to hear aboutit.
Tag me in your progress, replyto this email or you can share
(10:28):
on my Facebook page.
Thank you for listening andI'll see you next Monday with
another actionable challenge.
Hey y'all, welcome back to the Turn Down the Hustle
podcast.
This is my second challengepodcast episode, where I am
bringing you small, actionabletasks that can make a big
difference in your t-shirtbusiness over time.
Now I want to remind you,though, this isn't about adding
(00:22):
more to your plate.
It's actually about makingthings easier, smoother and,
dare I say, more fun.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
You're listening to Turn Down the Hustle, the
podcast dedicated totransforming how you run your
creative online t-shirt businessby working smarter, not harder,
so you can spend more time withyour why, people and passions
that matter most in your life.
So throw on your favoritegraphic tee and turn up the heat
.
Press, because it's time toturn down the hustle.
Here's your host digitalmarketer.
(00:51):
Cold brew lover, t-shirt maker,freckled hype girl and owner of
Sunkist Virtual Assistant, amy.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
This week's challenge builds on what we've already
talked about in episode onesetting an away message for your
Facebook page.
If you haven't tackled that oneyet, hit pause, go check it out
.
That should be the episode justbefore this one.
Go catch up on that one andcome back to this one.
Today we're shifting focus fromsocial media to your inbox.
(01:22):
That's right.
It's time to set up an emailauto-reply.
This one little action can makeyou like a pro free up your
time and your customers feeltaken care of all without you
lifting a finger.
And just like all thechallenges in this series, this
(01:42):
task comes directly from myproduct job organizer.
So if you love those bite-sized, practical tasks, you can grab
even more tools and templates atwwwsunkissedvacom.
Forward slash PDO.
Okay, this is going to be kindof a refresher from the previous
(02:02):
auto reply matter.
Before we jump into the how,let's talk about the why.
So why is setting an auto replyso important for your business?
The first thing is it buildsprofessionalism.
Think about the last time youemailed a business and you
didn't hear anything for days.
It can be frustrating, right?
An email auto reply instantlyassures your customers that
(02:26):
you've received their message,so they've reached the right
inbox, just like whenever youcall someone and they don't
answer, instead of just sayingleave a message, or the
automated tone.
You're like, oh shoot, I hopeI've called the right person.
Whenever it's their voicerecording, it kind of gives you
that reassurance you've reachedthe right location.
So those auto replies can setthe tone that you're running a
(02:50):
professional, organized business.
Who knows it might impress yourcustomers.
Even if it's just you running abusiness with your heat press
in a living room while competingfor focus time while someone is
yelling at NFL games Maybethat's just me, but I have my
own dedicated office.
But I swear there is not goodinsulation in our house and it
(03:13):
feels like my office is right inthe living room.
And, like we talked about inthe last episode, some customers
expect acknowledgement quickly,whether they message you on
social or email.
So these auto replies can go along way in building trust and
reliability.
Okay, next, why you should setan auto reply?
Probably, I think, the mostimportant reason.
(03:35):
It sets boundaries, and this isone thing I am really focusing
on for 2025.
Boundaries are everything onfor 2025, boundaries are
everything.
Running your t-shirt businesswhile working a new five,
(03:56):
raising a family or both yeah,you can't be chained to your
inbox 24-7.
This auto-reply lets you stepaway without feeling guilty
while still keeping yourcustomers informed still keeping
your customers informed.
Lastly, these auto replies willsave time.
How much time do you spendresponding to repetitive
questions like where's my order?
When will my order ship?
So with those auto replies, youcan address some of those FAQs
(04:18):
up front and save time for thosetasks that actually grow your
business, like planning yournext product job.
I may be biased on that,because I can help with that,
and if you need help coming upwith your FAQs or finding a way
to easily tag your FAQs, staytuned because the next few
episodes are really going tohelp you.
(04:42):
All right, let's get to theaction part of this episode
setting up your email auto reply.
So if you are a Gmail user, atthe timing of this recording you
will click the gear icon in thetop right corner of your inbox.
You're then going to select seeall settings, scroll to
(05:03):
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'reusing a platform like GoDaddy or
(05:23):
Bluehost.
They usually have sometutorials that you can probably
find to help you set this up.
So a plug for a custom domainemail address I highly recommend
.
If you are still rocking theSunkissedVA at gmailcom, I
highly recommend you convert itto a custom domain email address
(05:44):
like amy at sunkissvacom, andyou can do that through.
I highly recommend you have aprofessional 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 emailaddress.
It is episode 28 and it willgive you all the tools and steps
(06:07):
you need to make that happen.
All right, now it's time tocraft that auto reply message.
What are you going to put inthis message?
So I recommend breaking it upinto three parts, the first
thing being a friendly greeting,like something that says hey,
girl, or whatever is your brandtone.
Maybe it's welcome what yourbrand tone is.
(06:28):
Mine is usually very friendlyand formal, things like that.
Next, some clear information.
So let them know when can theyexpect a response and where can
they find quick information andmaybe common questions that they
may have, and then always givethem like a next step.
I guess you could say a call toaction.
You might not have thought ofincluding this in your auto
(06:50):
replies, but it's very helpful.
You can redirect them to yoursite, a product page or order
tracking page for faster service.
So I love reminding mycustomers, one, of the
turnaround time and two, ifthey've asked if their order is
shipped or if it's ready forpickup, if they go log into
their account they can see allof their order history and then
see what's the status of theirorder.
(07:11):
That's at least for Shopify.
If you need help on crafting anauto reply message kind of
giving you like a littletemplate to get some creative
juices flowing in the show notes, you can head to that.
I do want to take a second totalk about whether or not this
auto reply for your email isright for your business.
There might be some people thatdecide to forego this challenge
(07:34):
, and that's totally okay.
This would be a great fit foryou.
If you get a lot of emails orrepeat questions or even
inquiries outside business hours, that's probably a no-brainer
for you to set this up.
It will keep your customersinformed and even when you're
away maybe they can still getthe service they need.
(07:54):
But if you're a one-person shopwith a small, manageable email
volume, or if you love thepersonal touch of responding to
every email, this might not befor you, and that's okay.
Also, think about what do youlike.
Do you like whenever you emailbrands and you get an auto
(08:16):
response like, hey, thank youfor your email, we have received
it, a team member will be backwith you within 48 hours,
something like that?
Do you appreciate that?
If so, then I would use thesame concept for your that.
Do you appreciate that?
If so, then I would use thesame concept for your business.
If you're like oh, that'sannoying.
Remember, automation shouldwork for you and it should not
work against your brand.
We want it all going in theright direction, right?
(08:37):
If it feels impersonal ordoesn't align with how you want
to run your business, just skipit.
Or you can can, of course,tweak this to fit whatever your
brand vibe is.
Okay, here's the challenge.
You ready?
Step one set up your email autoreply.
Two I want you to test it bysending yourself an email.
(08:58):
Can we read it?
Is it big enough text?
Is it too big?
I want you to test that out.
Step three I want you to sharethe message you set up in your
stories or on social and pleasetag me at Sunkiss Virtual
Assistant.
I want to cheer you on and Iwant to see your challenge
completion.
If you are a product organizerclub member, make sure you check
(09:20):
out the Facebook group and findthis respective challenge post
and screenshot your completionso I can give you credit for it.
I am really passionate abouthelping you create systems
that's going to help you in thelong run.
So, while this is a minor taskto set up, it could really
compound and save you time inthe long run.
If you're loving thesechallenges so far, then let me
(09:43):
tell you you will really love myproduct job organizer.
Not only does it includeautomation tips like this, but
it also helps you plan andexecute your t-shirt launches
and keep your marketing on point.
Check out product job organizeron my website and take the
stress out of running yourbusiness.
(10:06):
Okay, so that's it for thisweek's Turn Down the Hustle
Challenge Setting up an emailauto-reply.
It might seem small, but it isa huge step towards working
smarter and not harder.
Remember, if you're taking onthis challenge.
I definitely want to hear aboutit.
Tag me in your progress.
Definitely want to hear aboutit.
Tag me in your progress, replyto this email or you can share
(10:28):
on my Facebook page.
Thank you for listening andI'll see you next Monday with
another actionable challenge.
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