Analysis of out of office email reply rates shows when people are most likely to respond

ZoomInfo, the go-to-market platform to find, acquire, and grow customers, published an analysis of millions of global emails that reveals the best and worst times to reach email recipients.

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ZoomInfo’s research team compiled the report by analyzing millions of emails sent globally by the company’s employees in 2023, and the rates at which they received OOO replies from their intended recipients.

With a 2.4% OOO reply rate, the fall stretch from mid-September to mid-November offers emailers one of their best chances all year at connecting with prospects, customers, colleagues, and counterparts via email.

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According to Forbes, 77% of B2B buyers say their preferred form of contact is email, and more than 360 billion emails are sent worldwide every day.

Other findings include:

• The two-month window after the new year – spanning mid-January to mid-March (1.8% OOO reply rate) – was the most optimal extended stretch of time to avoid OOO replies.
• Fourth of July week had the second-highest OOO reply rate for any week at 4.1%.
• The summer months of June-August saw an elevated OOO reply rate around 3.0%.
• The median OOO rate for the year was approximately 2.7%.