Make sure you have a professional e-mail signature, even when you're on vacation

Instead of an elegant out-of-office message, your customers receive an automatic reply with text such as “I'll be back on August 5” and something that resembles a signature... but looks like a random mix of characters, links, and HTML with no rhyme or reason.

What went wrong?

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📬 Why do Gmail autoresponders mess up e-mail signatures?

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Gmail's out-of-office message uses the same editor you use to write e-mails. The problem starts when:

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• You create an autoresponder in “plain text” mode (Plain Text), e.g. by accident or from a mobile device.
• You set up a message from the Gmail app on your phone, which only supports a text editor without formatting options.

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It happens because Gmail uses both plain text and rich text modes, which causes issues. Email signatures are in HTML, and when mixed with plain text mode, only the text is sent. For example, when someone sets up an out-of-office status on the mobile Gmail app, the autoresponder is always in plain text.

The solution is to set it up in the Gmail web browser on a computer using the rich text editor. In that mode, the “Plain text” switch is visible along with the formatting toolbar, which confirms the editor is in rich text mode. If the out-of-office message is saved in rich text, the automatic reply with the status and the automatic email signature will display correctly with proper formatting. To avoid further issues, don’t set up out-of-office replies in the mobile Gmail app / plain text.

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The result? Even the best-designed HTML e-mail signature generated by gSignature loses its formatting. Graphics are not displayed, colors disappear, and the layout becomes distorted. Instead of professional communication, customers see a raw string of text that can negatively affect your company's image.

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💡 How to prevent this? Here is a proven solution:

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✅ Create autoresponders from your computer

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To maintain consistency and aesthetics:

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• Log in to your Gmail account from your computer's web browser.
• Set up your autoresponder using the “rich text” editor (advanced formatting).
• Make sure your message already includes the appropriate HTML e-mail signature – preferably pasted from gSignature or added automatically.

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This is the easiest way to make your autoresponders look as good as your everyday business messages.

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🔒 Want 100% certainty? Choose gSignature in server-side mode

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If you want full control and absolute visual consistency – regardless of whether your employee is using a phone, tablet, browser or setting up an out-of-office message – use gSignature in server-side mode.

This ensures that:

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• E-mail signatures are added automatically on the Google Workspace server – regardless of the device and e-mail client.
• Even autoresponders, emails from mobile phones or sent by people who are out of the office always contain an up-to-date, consistent e-mail signature.
• You can define different signatures for different departments, roles or seasonal campaigns without the risk of anything getting mixed up.

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🌴 Professional communication even on vacation

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Vacation should not be an excuse for chaotic email communication. When your company uses gSignature:

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• You no longer have to explain to employees how to paste HTML into an autoresponder.
• You don't have to worry about whether a message looks different on a phone than on a computer.
• You can be sure that every response – even an automatic one – is professional, aesthetically pleasing, and consistent with your brand image.

🧭 How to take care of your e-mail signature in an autoresponder?

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Problem Solution

Out-of-office message sent from a phone loses formatting Set up your autoresponder from your computer in rich text mode

Autoresponder without a signature or with broken HTML code Use gSignature in server-side mode

Inconsistent holiday communication Implement central management of e-mail signatures for the entire company

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✉️ Take care of every detail. Even your autoresponder says something about your brand.

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See how gSignature can help your company maintain professionalism 24/7 – even when you're offline.

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