You’ve left an important voice-mail message. But how can you be sure your call will be returned? There are no guarantees, but there are steps you can take to improve your chances greatly.

“The first thing is to keep the message brief and to the point,” says Joshua Zuchter, a life and business coach in Toronto. “And know what you want to say before you leave the message.”

Say why you are calling up front, he suggests, so the person you are calling will hear what is important without having to fast-forward or skip parts because the message is long-winded.

In addition to leaving your name, number, the date and the time you called, you should always repeat your number at the end of the message. This way the recipient won’t have to replay the message if they didn’t catch the number the first time.

“One of the barriers to having a call returned,” says Zuchter, “is a message that has to be played over and over because you didn’t catch the number the first time.”

And leave your number even if you know the person has your contact information. Today, it’s common for people to check their messages while they are away from the office; they might not have your number with them. The number could also be stored in the phone the person is using, or they are out of town and checking for messages.

“If you say, ‘Hi, it’s John. Give me a call,’ and the client doesn’t have your number with him or her,” Zuchter asks, “how is he or she going to call you back?”

Zuchter provides some more tips for getting your voice-mail messages returned:

> Speak slowly and clearly and have a positive, upbeat tone, especially if you are calling someone who doesn’t know you.

> Request rather than demand a return call. “Call me right away” is not good; “Could you please call me?” is better.

> If the message is urgent or important, say so at the beginning of the message.

> Avoid telephone tag. Let the person know when you can be reached, and be specific. Give the date and time you’ll be available. You don’t want the person calling back when you are in a meeting or are out of the office.

> Don’t say you’ll call back — the person won’t return your call.

> Avoid leaving messages on a Friday afternoon, when people are in weekend mode, or on a Monday morning, when people may be stressed.

> Don’t call too early or too late in the day. Around 11 a.m. is a good time; so is right after lunch. When people have eaten, they feel good and their morning meetings and busy times are out of the way.

> You are more likely to get a return call on a sunny day, says Zuchter, than on a cloudy, rainy day, when people may be more depressed and less receptive to phone calls.

> If you’re calling about a problem, don’t focus too much on the problem. Say: “I’m calling to come up with some ideas on how we can deal with this issue.” Don’t say: “We have a major issue and you need to call me right away.”

Adds Zuchter: “The person who gets the [latter] call is going to be totally turned off.”

> If you can, follow up your message with an e-mail.

> Don’t be too candid or put sensitive information in your message; you don’t know who will hear it. At some companies, calls are recorded and you — or the person you are calling — might not want other people to know your business. IE