Photo of Mary Jane Copps
Mary Jane Copps trains workers on how best to engage with customers over the phone.Mary Jane Copps
  • The Phone Lady is a company that helps people improve their phone manners.

  • Gen Z workers are afraid of using the phone because of their texting habits.

  • She works to help people overcome their phonephobia.

A lot of users don't make a lot of phone calls on their phones.

Many young workers don't have the confidence to speak on the phone at work.

The Phone Lady was set up 16 years ago to help companies improve the telephone skills of their employees.

She said that Gen Z had never had the skills given to them. When I was a child, the phone was on the wall in everyone's house and we were taught to use it.

People have removed phones from their homes because they were never taught how to use them.

Papadakis told Insider that younger generations were more likely to suffer from phonephobia.

She said that texting and instant messaging have been the primary mode of communication for Generation Z and the other younger generations. They don't have as much experience on the phone as they would like. People who are vulnerable to social anxiety are set up for that.

One-on-one coaching and 30-minute webinars cost $365 and $480, respectively, as part of the seven-part program. The rate for corporate workshops is $3,500 per day. The figures have been verified by Insider with the help of redacted invoices.

The financial sector is where many of the clients are from. She wants to understand why someone is anxious about phone calls.

She said that a common fear is if someone asks a question and I don't know the answer. For the next three days, I don't want you to text anyone, and I want you to call your friends and family.

The process is scary if they are not used to it. I don't know if I'm going to make them call prospective clients as they would just fall apart, but we start with their family or someone they know.

She uses role play in her approach to making calls. If people aren't ready to answer the phone, I set up a time where I randomly call them and have practice conversations.

"You can't build a relationship by email because it's not back and forth and you're not hearing each other's tone of voice," she said.

Business Insider has an article on it.