Offboarding a leaver is several separate requests rather than one. Ask for each in turn, checking the result before moving on.

Order matters. Converting the mailbox before a colleague has been given access leaves a gap where nobody can read the mail.

Deciding what happens to the mailbox is the part with lasting consequences, so settle that before you start rather than partway through.

Before you begin

Decide who is taking over the mailbox, and have their email address ready.

Agree what the out of office reply should say. Somebody outside the business will read it.

Decide whether mail should also be forwarded, and for how long.

Ask for each step in turn

1. Ask Avvi to set an out of office reply on the leaver’s mailbox.
2. Ask Avvi to grant the colleague access to that mailbox.
3. Ask Avvi to convert the mailbox to a shared mailbox.
4. Ask Avvi to set up forwarding to the colleague, if you want it.
5. Ask Avvi to disable the account.

Avvi confirms each change before making it and reports the result afterwards. Read each result before asking for the next.

Good to know

Converting to a shared mailbox is what stops the mailbox consuming a licence while keeping the mail reachable.

Disabling the account is what stops the person signing in. Ask for the licences to be released as part of that request, and check the reply says they were, because a failure there does not fail the disable. Handling the mailbox without disabling the account leaves access open.

Forwarding does not end on its own. Schedule its removal at the same time, or agree a date and diarise it.

Verify it worked

Ask Avvi what the mailbox looks like now. Confirm it is shared and that the colleague has access.

Ask the colleague to open the mailbox. Access can take a few minutes to appear, so have them restart Outlook before reporting a problem.

Confirm the leaver can no longer sign in.

If something doesn’t look right

If a step reports an error, deal with that step before continuing. Later steps assume the earlier ones worked.

If the colleague cannot see the mailbox, restart Outlook first. That is the most common explanation.

If mail is still arriving in the leaver’s mailbox after forwarding was set, check whether a copy is deliberately being kept there.

If a step keeps failing, open a support conversation from the Help drawer. Include the client name, both email addresses, and which steps did succeed.

FAQ

Q: Can I ask for all of it in one request?

A: Ask for the steps individually. A combined request can come back with an error and nothing done.

Q: Does disabling the account handle the mailbox?

A: No. The mailbox and the sign-in are separate, and a departure needs both.

Q: What if the person comes back?

A: A shared mailbox can be converted back and the account enabled again. Licences released by a permanent disable have to be reassigned.