Teleperformance SE, the global leader in call center operations, is launching an AI-based system that aims to reduce Indian employees’ English accent in real-time. The company asserts that this technology will facilitate better understanding and increase customer satisfaction as it would make communication more fluent. The accent translation system is integrated with background noise removal and is being deployed in India’s call centers where employees support global clients such as Apple, TikTok, and Samsung.
Deputy CEO Thomas Mackenbrock clarified, “When you’ve got an Indian agent on the line, sometimes it’s difficult to hear, to understand.” He further noted that the technology “neutralizes the accent of the Indian speaker with zero latency,” which enhances customer relations and decreases handling time. This, in turn, is a “win-win for both parties,” Mackenbrock said.
The AI platform was built by Palo Alto startup Sanas, which was invested in by Teleperformance for $13 million earlier this year. Under the agreement, Teleperformance is the sole reseller of Sanas’ technology to its customers. This launch is part of Teleperformance’s wider €100 million ($104 million) investment in AI this year. The firm sees this AI solution as an enhancement of human call-center work instead of a replacement, even as investors worry that AI chatbots could reduce the demand for human agents.
Mackenbrock observed that the development of AI-based chatbots, such as Klarna’s personal assistant, has generated fears about the fate of human call-center operators. But he underlined that AI will complement, not displace, human workers: “In order to create connections, customer experience, branding awareness, the human factor will be invaluable.”
Sanas’ application not only enhances accents but also eradicates background noise like the sounds of traffic and conversation. Although the technology can assist agents, it also calls to mind issues relating to cultural identity and authenticity, especially in call centers such as the ones in the Philippines that have been praised for having a strong English-speaking population.
Sanas seeks to diminish “accent-based discrimination,” and its technology is being optimised for various geographies, including Latin America. AI usage in the future will be extended beyond voice and into support for training and labelling data for AI models, Teleperformance has planned. As Mackenbrock described, “AI will be ubiquitous, it is already today,” however the need for human support remains paramount in customer interaction and service quality.