With only a few more weeks left of summer, many of us are trying to get away from the office for one last long weekend before the fall cooler weather begins. While it’s great to escape from the daily grind, a poorly constructed or non-existent on-hold message can simultaneously increase your backlog of messages and irritate your callers. Yes, it can even cause you to lose customers!

While you may feel like there is a long list of things to do as part of your pre-trip planning, a clear, informative out-of-office message should be a priority. Here are the key components that you’ll need to communicate to your callers before you leave.