The Phone Call Was Never Simple — Here's How AI Makes It Easier
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I’m Bernadette, and this is a longer SYSTEMshift special.
Today I want to talk about something that rarely gets discussed in business conversations.
Phone anxiety.
Not the kind teenagers joke about.
The kind many professionals quietly experience.
And the kind that can become even more intense when you're running a business in a country where English is not your first language.
When I first came to Canada, something interesting happened.
Every time the phone rang, my anxiety spiked.
Not because I didn’t speak English.
I did.
But answering the phone requires something very specific.
You have to switch mental modes instantly.
One second you're working.
Focused.
In your flow.
And suddenly the phone rings.
Now you have to perform.
Immediately.
And back then you couldn’t even see who was calling.
So before answering, your brain runs through a list of questions.
Who is this?
What do they want?
Will I understand their accent?
Will they understand mine?
Did I miss an important word?
And then there is the cultural layer.
Because phone conversations follow different social rules depending on where you grew up.
In Germany, where I’m from, phone calls are usually very structured.
You answer with your name.
“Hello, Bernadette speaking.”
Then the caller introduces themselves.
“Hello, this is Michael calling.”
And then the conversation begins.
Clear.
Direct.
Efficient.
In Canada — and especially in Toronto — the rhythm can be very different.
Sometimes the conversation begins with small talk.
“Hi, how are you today?”
“Nice weather we’re having.”
Only after that does the actual reason for the call appear.
When you're new in the country, your brain is decoding all of this in real time.
Do I respond with small talk?
Do I go straight to the topic?
Is this politeness?
Or are we already in the real conversation?
And there’s another layer.
Phone calls remove most of the signals humans normally rely on.
In face-to-face conversations we read:
facial expressions
eye contact
hand gestures
body posture
even the movement of someone’s lips.
These signals help us decode meaning.
Even when the words themselves are unclear.
But on the phone, all of that disappears.
All that remains is sound.
Timing.
Tone.
You can’t see if someone is smiling.
You can’t see if they’re joking.
You can’t see if they are confused.
You can’t even look at their lips to help understand unfamiliar words.
For someone speaking a second language, those missing signals matter a lot.
They normally help fill the gaps.
Now imagine this happening in a city like Toronto.
One of the most multicultural cities in the world.
People here come from everywhere.
Different languages.
Different accents.
Different expectations about how a phone conversation is supposed to work.
For one person, small talk is polite.
For another person, efficiency is polite.
For someone else, being direct might sound rude.
It becomes a melting pot of communication styles.
And if you’re running a business in the middle of that, you want to sound confident.
Professional.
Competent.
But when your brain is translating in real time, a lot of thoughts appear at once.
What if I don’t understand them?
What if they don’t understand me?
What if I can’t find the English word?
Do I sound like I know what I’m doing?
Or do I sound like a toddler… even though I’m actually highly experienced?
That anxiety sounds small.
But when the phone rings ten times a day, it adds up.
And interestingly, this isn’t just something immigrants experience.
Years later, I actually explored this topic professionally.
When I worked at IBM, accessibility and inclusivity became a major focus inside large organizations.
Around that time I started a panel with colleagues who openly identified as neurodiverse.
We began talking about something surprising.
Phone anxiety.
Even among very senior professionals.
At the same time I was working on a project with TD Bank.
TD was exploring a voice platform called Genesys — an early generation of the kind of intelligent phone systems organizations use today.
The bank had more than sixty different business lines.
Insurance.
Retail banking.
Customer service.
Claims support.
All of them relied heavily on phone communication.
So I started asking a simple question.
How do people actually feel when the phone rings?
The responses were fascinating.
Many neurodiverse professionals described the phone as one of the most stressful communication channels in their workday.
Even though they were highly capable experts.
Some people described the same anxiety spike I remembered from my early days in Canada.
The sudden interruption.
The need to switch context instantly.
The unpredictability of the conversation.
And the lack of visual cues that normally help people process communication.
And the numbers support this.
Studies suggest that around three quarters of younger professionals report some form of phone anxiety, and many actively avoid phone conversations when possible.
Researchers even have a term for it.
Telephobia.
The anxiety associated with making or receiving phone calls.
At the same time, another trend is happening.
Younger generations communicate differently.
Messaging.
Chat.
Voice notes.
The traditional phone call is becoming less common.
Which means people practice it less.
And when something becomes unfamiliar, it can feel stressful.
Now combine all of this.
A multilingual city.
Different cultural communication styles.
Neurodiversity.
Generational change in communication habits.
Suddenly the phone becomes a surprisingly complex interface between humans.
And this is where modern voice technology becomes interesting.
Not just as automation.
But as accessibility.
An AI receptionist can act as a structured front desk.
It answers the call.
Greets the caller.
Guides the conversation step by step.
Name.
Request.
Timing.
Next action.
Instead of decoding a chaotic conversation in real time, the business owner receives a clear summary.
Who called.
What they need.
And what should happen next.
But there’s another powerful aspect.
Language.
Platforms like ElevenLabs now support voice agents across dozens of languages.
Which means the system can greet a caller in English…
and continue the conversation in Spanish…
Mandarin…
Arabic…
or many other languages.
For a city like Toronto, that matters.
Because customers and business owners often don’t share the same first language.
The technology isn’t replacing the human relationship.
It’s supporting it.
It becomes a communication bridge.
A buffer.
A structured intake assistant.
The business owner can focus on the work they do best.
And the caller still feels heard.
Technology often promises efficiency.
But sometimes its biggest impact is quieter.
Reducing small moments of stress.
Making communication easier.
Helping people feel confident again in situations that used to feel overwhelming.
For many entrepreneurs building businesses in a new country, answering the phone was one of those moments.
A small moment.
But one that happened dozens of times every week.
And when that moment becomes easier…
running a business becomes easier too.
Thanks for listening to this SYSTEMshift special.
And I’ll see you in the next episode.Why voice-only conversations can create stress — especially for immigrants, neurodiverse professionals, and younger workers
When people talk about language barriers in business, they usually think about vocabulary.
But language is only part of communication.
A large portion of human conversation happens without words at all.
And when that disappears — as it does on the phone — communication suddenly becomes much harder.
For many entrepreneurs, especially those operating in a second language, that moment when the phone rings can trigger something surprisingly real:
anxiety.
When the Phone Rings
When I first came to Canada, something interesting happened.
Every time the phone rang, my anxiety spiked.
Not because I didn’t speak English.
I did.
But answering the phone requires an immediate mental switch.
One moment you're focused on your work.
The next moment the phone rings and suddenly you must perform in real time.
And back then you often couldn't even see who was calling.
So before even answering, your brain runs through questions:
Who is this?
What do they want?
Will I understand their accent?
Will they understand mine?
For someone running a business in a new country, that small moment can feel surprisingly intense.
Cultural Differences in Phone Conversations
Phone etiquette also varies dramatically between cultures.
In Germany, where I grew up, phone calls are typically very structured.
You answer with your name:
“Hello, Bernadette speaking.”
The caller introduces themselves:
“Hello, this is Michael calling.”
Then the conversation begins.
Clear. Direct. Efficient.
In Canada, the rhythm can be different.
Sometimes a call begins with small talk:
“Hi, how are you today?”
“Nice weather we’re having.”
Only later does the actual request appear.
When you're new to the country, your brain is trying to decode this in real time:
Do I respond with small talk?
Do I go straight to the topic?
Is this politeness or the actual conversation?
Now multiply this by dozens of calls per week.
The Hidden Role of Body Language
Phone conversations remove most of the signals humans normally rely on.
In face-to-face conversations we read:
facial expressions
eye contact
gestures
body posture
the movement of someone’s lips
These cues help us interpret meaning even when the words themselves are unclear.
But on the phone, all of that disappears.
What remains is only:
sound
tone
timing
You can't see if someone is smiling.
You can't see if they're joking.
You can't see if they're confused.
For someone speaking a second language, those missing signals normally help fill the gaps.
Without them, interpretation becomes harder.
A Multilingual City
Cities like Toronto make this even more interesting.
Canada is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world.
According to Statistics Canada:
Over 200 languages are spoken across Canada.
Around 23% of Canadians have a mother tongue other than English or French.
About 30% of Canadians can speak a non-official language conversationally.
In Toronto specifically:
Nearly 87% of residents speak English,
but for many it is not their first language learned at home.
That means daily communication often involves people with:
different language backgrounds
different accents
different cultural communication patterns
For small business owners answering calls all day, that creates a unique communication environment.
Phone Anxiety Is Surprisingly Common
This experience is not limited to immigrants.
Research shows that phone anxiety is widespread across many groups.
Several studies highlight how common this is:
Around 75–81% of millennials report feeling anxious about phone calls.
62% of office workers report experiencing anxiety before answering the phone.
About 21% of people say they actively feel anxious making phone calls.
Among younger workers, 67% say they avoid work calls whenever possible.
Researchers even use a specific term for this phenomenon:
Telephobia — anxiety associated with making or receiving phone calls.
Studies suggest over 40% of people experience measurable levels of telephone anxiety.
My UX Research on Phone Anxiety
Years later, I explored this topic professionally.
While working at IBM, accessibility and inclusivity became a growing focus across many organizations.
At the time I organized a panel with colleagues who openly identified as neurodiverse.
During that period I was also involved in a project with TD Bank exploring the implementation of the Genesys Cloud voice platform.
TD has dozens of different business lines — including banking, insurance, and claims support — many of which rely heavily on phone communication.
As part of discovery work, I began asking a simple question:
How do people actually feel when the phone rings?
The responses were eye-opening.
Many neurodiverse professionals described phone calls as one of the most stressful communication channels in their workday.
Even highly experienced professionals reported the same patterns:
anxiety when the phone rings
difficulty switching context instantly
stress caused by unpredictable conversations
challenges interpreting tone without visual cues
This aligned closely with my own earlier experience as an immigrant professional adapting to a new communication environment.
A Communication Channel That Is Changing
Another factor is generational.
Many younger professionals rarely use the phone today.
They communicate through:
messaging
chat
voice notes
asynchronous tools
As phone usage declines, practice declines as well.
And when a skill becomes unfamiliar, it often becomes uncomfortable.
The result is a strange paradox.
Businesses still rely heavily on the phone — but fewer people feel comfortable using it.
Voice Technology as Accessibility Infrastructure
This is where modern voice technology becomes interesting.
Not just as automation.
But as accessibility.
An AI receptionist can act as a structured front desk.
Instead of an unpredictable conversation, the system guides the interaction step by step.
For example:
greeting the caller
asking structured questions
confirming details
summarizing the request
The business owner receives a clear summary:
who called
what they need
what happens next
Language Accessibility
Another powerful benefit is language accessibility.
Voice platforms like ElevenLabs support voice agents across dozens of languages.
That means a system can greet a caller in English…
and continue the conversation in Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, or many other languages.
For multilingual cities like Toronto, this becomes incredibly useful.
Customers and business owners do not always share the same first language.
Technology can help bridge that gap.
A Small Shift With a Human Impact
Technology often promises dramatic transformation.
But sometimes its biggest impact is quieter.
Reducing small moments of stress.
Making communication easier.
Helping people feel confident again in situations that used to feel overwhelming.
For many entrepreneurs building businesses in a new country, answering the phone was one of those moments.
A small moment.
But one that happens dozens of times every week.
When that moment becomes easier, running a business becomes easier too.