MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Philippine IT and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector is set to enhance customer service with AI-driven accent neutralization, a technology that modifies agents’ accents without altering their natural voices.
This innovation promises to improve call handling times and boost customer satisfaction, according to industry leaders.
Jack Madrid, president and CEO of the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), described AI accent neutralization as a major advantage, particularly for agents supporting North American customers. After witnessing a demonstration of the technology by Sanas, a Silicon Valley company, Madrid noted its potential to improve customer interactions and overall service quality.
Expanding job access in rural areas
Sanas’ AI technology, already in use by over 30,000 agents in the Philippines and India, enables BPO companies to expand hiring beyond urban centers like Manila to more rural areas such as Cabanatuan and Davao.
According to Anant Singh, head of go-to-market at Sanas, the technology helps companies hire based on talent, reducing dependency on regional accents and opening up employment to candidates who were previously excluded.
Singh highlighted that this shift could increase hiring by up to 36%, creating new opportunities for Filipinos. He noted that companies are now more open to expanding operations in the Philippines, attracted by the nation’s strong cultural affinity with North America, English proficiency, and reputation for empathy.
AI adoption and industry growth
AI is already widely adopted across the Philippine IT-BPM industry, with 67% of companies implementing AI tools in customer service, data entry, and quality assurance, according to IBPAP. Despite challenges such as integration costs and data privacy, the impact of AI has been “mostly positive,” leading to gains in productivity, efficiency, and service quality.
IBPAP projects the sector will achieve $38 billion in revenues and grow its workforce to 1.82 million employees by the end of 2024.
