AI Tweaks Indian Accents at Call Centers
PARIS — Teleperformance, the world’s biggest call center company, rolled out AI software on Feb. 27, 2025, to soften Indian agents’ accents in real time. The tech launched in India, aiming to make calls clearer for global clients. It’s part of a push to boost customer satisfaction.
The software comes from Sanas, a Palo Alto startup. Teleperformance invested $13 million in it last year. The AI, called accent translation, adjusts Indian call agents’ voices instantly. It also cuts background noise—like roosters or sirens. The company serves big names like Apple, TikTok, and Samsung, but won’t say which clients use it yet. This follows a $104 million AI investment plan for 2025.
Why now? Some customers find Indian accents hard to follow. Teleperformance says the tech fixes that with “zero latency.” Critics, though, worry it erases cultural identity. Sanas claims it fights accent bias, a problem call agents face daily. The software also works for Filipino accents and is expanding to Latin America. Teleperformance employs 490,000 people worldwide, many in India.
“This neutralizes the accent fast,” said Thomas Mackenbrock, Teleperformance’s deputy CEO, in a Bloomberg interview. He sees it as a win-win: happier customers, shorter calls. The company expects 3-5% revenue growth this year, despite AI chatbot fears. Past scandals—like a 2021 knockoff probe—haven’t slowed its AI push.
What’s next? Teleperformance could face pushback over cultural concerns. Or it might set a trend for call centers everywhere. The tech’s success hinges on client feedback and agent comfort. For now, it’s a bold bet on AI to keep humans in the loop.