Unsolicited Advice – Leaving Messages
And now for some more advice that you didn’t ask for.
If you are leaving a message, please leave your name and your number if you would like us to call you back. I am figuring that due to the proliferation of cell phones and caller ID that some folks tend to take for granted that the person they are calling automatically will have the number that they are calling from.
So at least once a week I receive a phone message from someone asking me to call them back who does not leave a name and/or a number. The names aren’t a big deal – I will call back and say “I’m returning a call from someone who left this number, but not their name” and we take it from there. The numbers are more difficult. That really leaves me with no choice but to wait until they call us back.
Now I have mentioned this to some other folks who don’t understand why it bothers me. They figure if the client doesn’t know enough to leave contact info I shouldn’t waste a thought on it. And I would completely agree if the client KNEW that they didn’t leave contact info. So instead I have a situation where there is a client (or potential client) at the other end who thinks that we just blew them off or couldn’t be bothered to call them back. They often are indignant and irritated and I can’t say that I blame them for that.
So if you have reached out to us (or anyone else for that matter) and they have not responded in a timely manner. Please try to give us/them the benefit of the doubt…. and if you know the person who left this note tell them I didn’t call back, because I don’t have a phone number.
Just TeeJay's Blog 
Get caller ID?
We have caller ID and if the call came in recently sometimes I can go through it and figure out which number goes with which phone call…. but often too much time (and too many phone calls) have elapsed between the message and it’s receipt.
(this is nadia by the way)
i dont think its the least bit inappropriate to expect basic phone manners when someone calls. getting caller i.d. is fine but that assumes that there arent many people who call during the day and that you dont have better things to do than sift through the i.d. list. i understand that people want personal attention and regard but to expect that they are the only ones you have to work with is narcisstic on their part. i suppose this is the whole reason the old fashioned answering machine message was leave your name, number, and we’ll get back to you.
This is common courtesy or business etiquette, and sadly, is no longer taught. I encounter it daily at work too. Name and number. Simple. Who are you, and how can I reach you.
I don’t necessarily see it as them being rude or self absorbed…. I don’t believe that they think I will need to try and hunt down their phone number. I think that there isn’t the habit there of leaving a number because cell phones have made it unnecessary to do so. Or maybe I just prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt. Either way, most of them don’t receive a return call.