We need a "Auto Reply" function to the PM System

[#1]

Hi,

As a system-admin on our instance, I get regular PM's from customers asking me detailed product questions that should be posted to the forums and not asked of me.

I'd like to ask that the PM function be enhanced to provide some basic e-mail functionality that would add things like auto-reply, out-of-office, and other basic features that would assist in setting expectations of the customers.

Thanks,

[#2]

Thanks for submitting the idea GarenT. For auto-reply, what kind of rules would you set to send a default reply? Would it be based on certain rules around if subject/body of a PM contains these terms, send a reply? Also, what other basic features were you thinking of?

[#3]

I know some of the things I would like to see with the auto reply for rules are

1. The ability to auto-reply based on role (e.g. non-moderators)

2. The ability to auto-reply based on keyword

3. The ability to auto-reply based on time (e.g. idle for extended period of time)

4. The ability to auto-reply by date range (e.g.  out-of-office)

[#4]

#4, at least, is similar to something that Mark (I think?) suggested a while back (maybe before Ideas was implemented?).  He was asking for a Gone Fishin' feature.

I like the idea in general.