With the invent of automated operators, voicemail, cell phones, text messaging and email, we have more ways of communicating with one another than ever before; yet, we communicate less.  It seems that all the advancement in technology has not made us better communicators, it has made us worse.  Have you ever heard the saying, "You can run, but you can't hide"?  Well, these days, people have more places to hide than ever before.

However you choose to conduct your personal life, albeit with the lack of etiquette and manners, is just that, personal.  But, when it comes to your professional life, proper etiquette and manners should rule your behavior and interaction with your co-workers and clients.  Ultimately, how you communicate with others will prove to be the success or downfall of your professional life.  It is NEVER okay not to return a communication.  Generally, your associates and clients are not calling to chit chat, but rather to get or communicate timely information that is necessary to accomplish a task.  Ignoring them will not make the problem go away, it just makes you look unprofessional.  Unless you have a specific time deadline for a project, which would require an immediate response, set aside two times a day to answer and return all correspondence, instead of piece-mealing them all during the day.  You will find this method to be an effective and time saving way of communicating with your co-workers and clients.

One of the funniest movies of all times, "Tommy Boy" starring Chris Farley, David Spade and Brian Dennehy, proves that good customer service, always wins out in the end.