How AI technology can modify Indian employee accents in real time to enhance customer service

In global business communication, the role of artificial intelligence has sparked heated discussions. Teleperformance, the world's largest call center operator, has begun to use artificial intelligence technology developed by American startup Sanas to modify the accents of Indian employees in real time to better serve Western customers. The company claims the technology can reduce misunderstandings, increase productivity and even protect call center employees from verbal attacks.

As India becomes an important hub for customer service globally, especially in English communication, customers are sometimes confused by foreign accents, which leads to longer call times and more escalating complaints. According to SquadStack CEO Apurv Agrawal, customer expectations for accessibility communication prompted businesses to take action. Research shows that communication barriers may reduce conversion rates by as much as 23%. At the same time, AI accent modification can also reduce call processing time by 15%-20%.

The core of this technology lies in its complexity. First, the AI ​​model uses automatic speech recognition (ASR) to transcribe spoken into text, and then uses natural language processing (NLP) to identify phoneme patterns, stress changes, and intonation in the speaker's accent. Then, through the transformation algorithm, these elements will be adjusted to conform to a more widely understood pronunciation norm while preserving the speaker's natural tone and emotion. As a result, a more “neutral” sounding voice can be delivered to the audience in 100 milliseconds.

In addition to adjusting the accent of Indian employees to a more "Westernized", some companies are also exploring the opposite direction to help Indian customers better understand agents in foreign call centers. The two-way AI communication enhancement tool developed by SquadStack can improve communication clarity and improve comprehension by about 40% without eliminating accents.

While AI-driven accent modification solves actual business challenges, it also raises important ethical issues. Critics argue that this “beautifying” accent reinforces linguistic bias and continues the hierarchy of English pronunciation. Teleperformance argues that the technology simply removes barriers to understanding, improves efficiency and does not store or change data for a long time. However, the debate continues: Should companies choose between convenience and cultural authenticity, or is it possible to achieve a balance between the two?

Finally, it is worth noting that AI-powered accent modifications can somehow make scam calls more convincing and more difficult to detect. Scammers often rely on social engineering, and foreign accents have always been a warning sign. With AI neutralizing accents, scammers can more easily impersonate banks, technical support or government agencies, making scams more effective. Therefore, it is particularly important to ensure that scams are not facilitated while enjoying the customer service transformation brought by AI.