Hints from Heloise

Dear Heloise: I often need to make business calls when at work that may be to individuals, professionals or companies. The problem usually arises when I am dealing with an individual.

Please advise your readers that if they expect a return call, always speak clearly and slowly when leaving a message for a return call. It takes a lot of time to replay a message just to try to understand the name or the phone number.

Also, a lot of people don’t like to leave their name as part of the (outgoing – Heloise) message. I am one of those people. Please ask your readers to at least include their telephone number in their message. The caller will know if he or she dialed the correct number before leaving a message. If the person has the wrong number, he or she won’t leave a message.

These easy practices can save a lot of embarrassment for both the caller and receiver. – A First-Time Writer in Hobart, Ind.