Templates

Time off scripts, for telling clients before you go

Six messages for taking time off — early notice to a client with work booked either side, a note to a client mid-job, an away reply to a new enquiry, offering the slot before or after the break, asking another trade to cover, and the note that re-opens your diary — fill in your details once at the top of this page and every script below rewrites itself.

Taking time off does not have to mean going quiet and hoping nobody notices. The clients with work booked either side just need the dates. A client mid-job just needs to know what stops and when it resumes. A new enquiry just needs a return date and what to do if it is urgent.

These six scripts cover the whole stretch: early notice to a client with work booked either side, a note to a client mid-job, an away reply to a new enquiry, offering the free slot before or after the break to someone who wanted it, asking another trade to cover an emergency, and the note that re-opens your diary once you are back. Fill in your details once at the top of this page, and every script below updates to match.

Scripts

Script 01 · Early notice to a client with work booked either side

Subject: Heads-up — I am away [dates]

Hi [Client name], I wanted to give you early notice that I am away [dates]. Your booking either side of that is unaffected — I will confirm the exact times closer to the date. Let me know if anything needs moving before I go. [Your name]

Why it works Naming the dates early, while a client still has time to ask questions, keeps a booked job from colliding with the time off by accident.

Script 02 · Notice to a client mid-job

Subject: Where invoice [Invoice #] stands while I am away

Hi [Client name], Before I go away [dates], here is where things stand: [what is finished] is done, and [what is left] will resume on [return date]. Invoice [Invoice #] for [Amount] is not affected by the break. Any questions before then, just ask. [Your name]

Why it works Saying plainly what stops and what resumes, and on what date, means a client mid-job never has to wonder whether the work has stalled.

Script 03 · Away reply to a new enquiry

Subject: Thanks for reaching out — I am away until [return date]

Hi, Thanks for getting in touch with [Your business]. I am away until [return date] and will reply properly once I am back. If it is urgent, [urgent contact or instructions]. Otherwise, I will be in touch as soon as I return. [Your name]

Why it works A specific return date and one clear urgent-case instruction answers the two things a new enquiry actually needs, without promising a reply you cannot give yet.

Script 04 · Offering the slot before or after the break

Text

Hi [Client name], it's [Your name] from [Your business] — I have a slot free [before/after the break] if that suits the job you mentioned. Let me know if you want it.

Why it works Naming a real slot next to the time off turns the break into a scheduling detail for the client, rather than a delay to a job they already wanted done.

Script 05 · Asking another trade to cover, and telling the client who is covering

Subject: Cover while I am away [dates]

Hi [trade name], I am away [dates] and wondered if you could cover any emergency calls for my clients while I am out. Happy to return the favor. If that works, I will let my clients know to contact you directly for anything urgent. [Your name]

Why it works Naming who is covering, and telling clients directly, is the difference between a real emergency plan and an unanswered phone.

Script 06 · The "I am back" note that re-opens the diary

Text

Hi [Client name], it's [Your name] — I'm back from [dates] and back on the diary. Let me know if you'd like to get something booked in.

Why it works A short note that you are back re-opens the diary for clients who held off contacting you, instead of leaving them to guess when to reach out again.

Questions

How early should I send the early-notice script?

As soon as you have picked the dates from your diary. The sooner a client with work booked either side knows, the less likely the time off collides with a job they assumed was already settled.

Do I have to name another trade for cover?

No. Naming a trade to cover emergencies is one honest answer; saying plainly that you are not available and giving a return date is the other. Either is fine — leaving it unsaid is the only wrong answer.

Should I offer a discount for the wait?

No — a discount to smooth over the gap cuts the very rate the time off check prices the break against. Offer a real slot before or after the break instead, using the fourth script above.

Do these messages send automatically?

No. BizBinder has no holiday or out-of-office setting, so it does not know you are away and does not reply to an enquiry for you. What it does run on its own timer are reminders, scheduled sends, and recurring invoices — all invoice-scoped, not season- or holiday-scoped.

Want to see which weeks already hold work before you pick your dates?

You still write and send every message on this page — nothing here goes out on its own, and BizBinder has no holiday or out-of-office setting. What it does is run reminders, scheduled sends, and recurring invoices from its own server-side timer, so they keep going while you are away, and sort your jobs into a week view so you can see which weeks already hold booked work.

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