In The Beginning

These range from the very basic version that comes automatically with your email program and will send out what are known as, "vacation responses". The purpose of this was originally to notify a person's contacts if they were going to be unable to check their email for an extended period of time. Since that inception, not only can people check their email virtually anywhere in the world, but marketers have found other uses for this program.

Other Uses

People now use email autoresponders to notify potential clients that their email has been received and will receive a reply shortly. They use it to automatically send out simple files, such as ebooks, as an incentive to sign up for their email list, or even answer frequently asked questions.

There are also far more complex versions on that commercial market, which usually charge some kind of fee depending upon the options you want. You can use it to manage an email list, send out scheduled responses, and implement a multitude of other tools to manage your business.

Tips

Search the web and find out what options are available out there. Decide what you really need and then shop wisely so you only pay for what you need. Make sure that the company that you choose has excellent customer service and a reputation to match.