Teleperformance is rolling out an AI solution that neutralizes English-speaking Indian workers’ accents in real time.
The accent translation technology - alongside background noise cancellation - is being implemented in Teleperformance's call centers across India.
Across its global operations, Teleperformance delivers customer service outsourcing for the likes of Apple, TikTok, Samsung, and many other prominent global brands.
While the move aims to make "agents more understandable", questions have been raised about its ethics.
Nevertheless, Thomas Mackenbrock, Deputy CEO of Teleperformance, said in an interview with Bloomberg: "When you have an Indian agent on the line, sometimes it’s hard to hear, to understand."
The technology is hoped to "neutralize the accent of the Indian speaker with zero latency," Mackenbrock explained. "This creates more intimacy, increases customer satisfaction, and reduces the average handling time: it is a win-win for both parties."
Teleperformance has partnered with Sanas to deploy the technology, reportedly paying $13MN earlier this year to implement it.
Unethical or Practical Sense?
Naturally, questions about ethics are swirling. ABC7 has historically cited critics of the tech who suggested it’s "playing into racism."
However, Sanas, the developer of the AI software, rebuked these claims.
According to the Sanas website, it developed the technology to "reduce accent-based discrimination."
The technology currently supports Indian and Filipino accents and is being adapted for other regions, such as Latin America, where many Teleperformance employees assist U.S.-based customers.
"AI will be ubiquitous; it is already today," Mackenbrock said. "But to build connections, customer experience, branding awareness, the human element will be incredibly important."
Ethical or Not, Most Big BPOs Are Implementing the Technology
While the move from Teleperformance may have raised an eyebrow, it isn’t the only customer service BPO that has leveraged the technology.
Last year, CX Today reported that 12 of the top 20 customer service BPOs have partnered with Sanas to use real-time accent translation technology to improve customer interactions.