When you hear the phrase, “See you soon”, you probably think of a goodbye, a farewell, a “get back quickly”, and a few more of the like. And you would be right.
There are many reasons why a person would tell another “See you soon”, and as in the subject for this article, we will be focusing on the formal side of things.
Someone like your boss could say “see you soon” as a loaded statement to say he expects certain results or certain tasks done in as little time as possible and report back to him. And then that’s only one of the many ways it could be used and the meanings it could have.
Now that we have clarified what the phrase “see you soon” could be used for and how it could be used, what do you say to someone in a formal tone of speech when they tell you that they will “see you soon”?
Here are a few different ways you could be polite, formal, and respectful while replying to anyone in the given setting.
20 Formal Replies to “See You Soon”
As I said above, “See you soon” can have different meanings and for each of these meanings, a formal response is required.
On this list, we have all sorts of responses for any of these meanings. That said, let’s dive into them:
- I am counting down to our next meeting
- Affirmative, until our paths cross again.
- Thank you for the guidance sir/ma. I’ll see you soon.
- I appreciate your time, and I’ll be ready for our next meeting.
- Thank you for your leadership. I’ll be sure to handle matters as best I can.
- Likewise, do have a great day.
- Take care, and let’s catch up soon.
- Till our next rendezvous, stay safe
- I’ll ensure everything is prepared for our next session together, sir/ma.
- Thank you. I’ll be ready for our next rendezvous
- See you soon, I will await your orders.
- I appreciate the opportunity, see you at the next meeting.
- Sure. Do keep in mind our last discussion and let me know how things go
- I will do my communicate with you as soon as possible
- It might not be as soon as you anticipate but I will keep you informed
- Farewell [name of person], we will keep in touch throughout the break
- Unfortunately, this is our last meeting. It has been nice working with you. Thank you.
- Just a moment. There is a matter I would like us to converse on.
- Thank you for your patronage. Please, do come again.
1. I am counting down to our next meeting
While it might not be a formal meeting, for example, you can say “I am counting down to our next meeting” when someone intones “See you soon”.
Regardless of the formality, it is a way to say that you are looking forward to spending time with them. It might be a simple picnic for example, that you are both planning towards but you use the word meeting for formality.
2. Affirmative, until our paths cross again.
If the person who tells you “see you soon” is someone you are not likely to see anytime soon, you can respond with “Affirmative, until our paths cross again”.
A response like this tells them you are willing to see them again however it is dependent on when you two will meet – something you are both not sure of.
3. Thank you for the guidance sir/ma. I’ll see you soon
When you exchange farewells and someone says “See you soon” you can use it as an opportunity to appreciate them for what they have done like “Thank you for the guidance sir/ma. I’ll see you soon”.
Appreciating them for what they have done, be it guidance or otherwise, will spur them to do more. You can then say see you soon which shows hope in meeting them again.
4. I appreciate your time, and I’ll be ready for our next meeting.
“I appreciate your time, and I’ll be ready for our next meeting” is a great response when shaking hands with someone saying “See you soon”.
If you are trying to seal a deal and you have come to a conclusion that will warrant further meetings, you can say this to end the discussion and tell them that you appreciate the time they have given you, what you have achieved and you look forward to seeing them again for further business.
5. Thank you for your leadership. I’ll be sure to handle matters as best I can.
“Thank you for your leadership. I’ll be sure to handle matters as best I can” as a response to give to your boss, senior colleague, or anyone who is above you who says “See you soon”.
If they are taking a break and leaving you in charge for a while, this response is you promising to supervise things and handle them when they are gone. You are also thanking them for showing you the ropes and putting you through.
6. Likewise, do have a great day.
“Likewise, do have a great day” is a somewhat casual response to “See you soon”. You can use this with anyone anywhere and it will fit into the conversation without a hitch.
You can also modify the response with any wish of your choice. For example, you can say stay safe if you are both heading out for the day.
You can say have a safe trip if they are making a journey, and if you are closer to them you can give a more personalized wish like I hope you get the job or break a leg at your audition today.
7. Take care, and let’s catch up soon
If you are both going away for a long time, say you are on leave and you won’t be saying, in response to “see you soon”, you can “Take care, and let’s catch up soon”.
This remark shows care for their well-being and tells you that you would like to know how they are doing. It can also mean that you would like to keep in touch during the break period till you can see again.
8. Till our next rendezvous, stay safe
If you are trying to keep a professional air, you can say “Till our next rendezvous, stay safe” when whoever you are speaking to says “See you soon”.
First off, you are being polite with your wish for them to stay safe. You are also telling them you are looking forward to the next meeting without showing off any excitement or enthusiasm that might make you seem too friendly and unprofessional.
9. I’ll ensure everything is prepared for our next session together, sir/ma
“I’ll ensure everything is prepared for our next session together, sir/ma” is a response suitable for a person who says “see you soon” and sees you on a regular basis.
In this case, your meetings are weekly or monthly and you draw up agreements for each session, for example, things to put in place or implement. This response is an assurance of your commitment to preparation before the next meeting.
10. Thank you. I’ll be ready for our next rendezvous
You might get a notification, an email, or a message informing you beforehand of the next rendezvous. If the sender ends it with “See you soon”, you can decide to ignore it and address the content of the message. A response like “Thank you. I’ll be ready for our upcoming meeting” does just that.
You can also ask if there is anything you need to bring, other things you need to take note of or any tasks you are to handle in relation to the meeting.
11. See you soon, I will await your orders.
If you are to handle a particular task, you can respond with “See you soon, I will await your orders” when they say see you soon.
It is a wonderful response to give a person that you will be in touch with and working with even when you are not together physically.
You are assuring them that you would be ready for work anytime they are ready till you see you again, sometime soon.
12. I appreciate the opportunity, see you at the next meeting.
If someone says “See you soon” it signifies that you will have another meeting and the current one has come to a close. In this case, you can respond “I appreciate the opportunity, see you at the next meeting”.
It is always an opportunity to serve and to be trusted with one position or the other. If you have been trusted with a task or a position, acknowledging and appreciating it is not a bad thing. It shows humility and willingness to serve.
13. I appreciate your time and insights. Until our next interaction, see you soon!
Having someone take the time to look into your work, point out errors, and highlight places to improve is refreshing.
While it may not leave you feeling too good and confident, when they finally wrap with “see you soon”, you can boldly respond with “I appreciate your time and insights. Until our next interaction, see you soon!”
This reply explains to them that you are grateful for the time they have taken out to go through your work and the ideas they gave you. You appear willing to put them to use and this will make them willing to do more work with you.
14. Sure. Do keep in mind our last discussion and let me know how things go.
Let’s switch things up a bit. In the event that you are the one in charge and a subordinate says “See you soon”, you can say “Sure. Do keep in mind our last discussion and let me know how things go”.
This response will remind them of work or tasks that they have to do. Asking them to let you know how things go is a subtle way to request feedback even before the two of you meet again.
15. I will do my best to communicate with you as soon as possible
Another reason someone can say “see you soon” is to tell you to be back in time from an errand or send feedback as early as possible so that he is in the loop of things, in which you can reply “I will do my best to communicate with 0you as soon as possible”.
While they subtly tell you to step on it, your reply tells them that you are in control of how much time it will take but you will get back to them when you can as soon as you can.
16. It might not be as soon as you anticipate but I will keep you informed
Still on the reason of speed for an assignment or project, your boss or anyone can say “see you soon” to get you to work quicker.”
It might not be as soon as you anticipate but I will keep you informed” is a remark that tells whoever is speaking to you that you are not in control of the time and the speed of things.
It however promises to work as fast as possible and keep him posted all the way, throughout the process. Be sure that you say this respectfully so you do not sound like you are challenging him or giving excuses.
17. Farewell [name of person], we will keep in touch throughout the break
“See you soon” can be said to say goodbye to a colleague, or an acquaintance, and “Farewell [name of person], we will keep in touch throughout the break” can be said in response.
This response clearly asks the person not to cut off communication while you two are away but to keep you informed of all that is going on.
Based on your previous conversations, what the two of you would be discussing might be work-related or just casual.
18. Unfortunately, this is our last meeting. It has been nice working with you. Thank you
Time goes by quickly when you are having fun and when you are with amazing clients such that when they say “See you soon”, and you respond with “Unfortunately, this is our last meeting. It has been nice working with you. Thank you” it a sad shock for them.
If you have a business deal or transaction that you have rounded up, this response appreciates their patronage.
This also works for employees. If you are paired together with a colleague you haven’t worked with before on a project, after the execution of the project, this response will compliment and make them feel good.
19. Just a moment. There is a matter I would like us to converse on
Since a person can say, “See you soon” to politely end a conversation, you can politely say “Just a moment. “There is a matter I would like us to converse on” to let them know you wish to continue the conversation.
With a response like this, you can discuss whatever you have in mind whether it is formal or informal. You can also set the discussion to hold whenever you want to if it is more convenient for both of you that way.
20. Thank you for your patronage. Please, do come again
To maintain professionalism, when a customer tells you “See you soon” you can say “Thank you for your patronage. Please, do come again” to encourage them to purchase from your store again.
While the customer who says “see you soon” intones such because he hopes to come back, you use this response to be polite, acknowledge what they have said, and encourage their patronage. Any other response might be too casual, too friendly, or seem nonchalant.
Final words
In a setting where things are more official, take for example, a school, an office or a workplace, a business place, etc., you can’t always be in said place and sometimes would need to leave to either return to base (as in return to your home) or head to your duties or head out on errands, saying “see you soon” once in a while is not exactly a strange occurrence.
But in a situation where you are told that in a good formal setting, above, we have given 25 different ways to reply to such a phrase that are polite, respectful, and appropriate for a reply to a colleague or superior for almost any given situation or preference.
With these, you could be confident in replying to your boss, teacher, customer, etc., and not make things awkward for you.