DEAR MISS MANNERS: I work in an office where my duties include taking phone calls from customers. Over the last couple of years, I have noticed that more and more people are using speakerphone to conduct calls with us.

For some people, this is a very useful tool. For example, for the last few months my aunt was alive, she didn’t have the strength to hold a phone anymore. But for most people, the speakerphone is a convenience rather than a necessity.

The problem that my co-workers and I experience is that sound is amplified a great deal when using a speakerphone. Someone setting a pan on the counter sounds like someone slamming a pan down instead. A dog walking into a room sounds like a herd of elephants. A door being closed sounds like it is being slammed.

This background noise often makes conversation difficult: It drowns out the person we are speaking to, and we often have to repeat ourselves or ask them to repeat themselves. Also, a full day of repeated calls like this will often give us headaches.

Do you have a humorous response to someone using a speakerphone to indicate that it is interfering with our ability to conduct business?

GENTLE READER: You did not mention your line of work, but “May I interest you in some headphones?” comes to mind.

In lieu of that, Miss Manners suggests you tell your customers conspiratorially that they may want to locate a pair so that they are not overheard by others. Although they may then be distracted by wondering what about your conversation is secret.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, [email protected]; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.