MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM – A significant shift is underway in the customer service industry as 60% of the top 20 business process outsourcing (BPO) companies have implemented real-time accent translation technology.
According to a CX Today report, this innovative solution, provided by Sanas, transforms heavily accented English into non-accented American English, aiming to improve communication between agents and customers.
Each of these BPOs has partnered with Sanas, known for its end-to-end speech stack for contact centers.
Despite facing criticism that the technology “played into racism,” the software has had a positive, measurable impact on agent experiences and well-being.
“For me, that is the most powerful metric,” said Sharath Keshava Narayana, cofounder and COO of Sanas. “Agents are telling us that they’re dealing with a lot less abuse and enjoying their jobs much more.”
Benefits for agents and BPO companies
Sanas’s technology has helped enterprises reduce agent turnover rates by as much as 50%.
“Before, these reps experienced an undercurrent of bias in every other call they handled, and we’ve taken that familiar, unpleasant feeling away,” Narayana added.
The real-time accent translation software also offers various other benefits for front-line agents, including an 8–12% reduction in average handling time (AHT), a 14–15% increase in first-call resolution (FCR), up to 20% gains in customer satisfaction, and a 17% increase in sales conversion rates.
BPO Everise, a Sanas client, has embraced the technology. Sudhir Agarwal, founder and CEO of Everise, stated, “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever encountered in the history of this industry.” He further explained that Sanas has been a vital tool for their employees, allowing them to “concentrate fully on resolving customer issues rather than worrying about how they sound or whether they are being understood.”
Everise plans to deploy this technology in over 15,000 workstations in the coming months.
Future developments and offerings from Sanas
Sanas, finding significant success with its accent-altering software, will be experimenting with real-time speech correction.
Additionally, the company is offering “forever free and unlimited use” noise-cancellation software to contact centers globally starting in August. Sanas promises that the software will have a quick and effortless setup, 24/7 support, and no PII tracking.
