60 percent of leading customer service BPOs have deployed real-time accent translation technology.
Working with Sanas, each BPO is leveraging the technology to turn English spoken with a heavy accent into non-accented American English.
Last year, ABC7 cited critics of the tech who suggested it’s “playing into racism”. However, the software is irrefutably having a positive, measurable impact on agent experiences and well-being.
Indeed, figures shared with CX Today show that the technology has helped BPOs – alongside other enterprises – cut agent turnover rates by as much as 50 percent.
“For me, that is the most powerful metric,” said Sharath Keshava Narayana, Co-Founder & COO of Sanas. “Agents are telling us that they’re dealing with a lot less abuse and enjoying their jobs much more.
Before, these reps experienced an undercurrent of bias in every other call they handled, and we’ve taken that familiar, unpleasant feeling away.
Interestingly, the statistics also show how real-time accent translation technology offers benefits beyond the front-line agent experiences, with users reporting:
- 8-12 percent reductions in average handling time (AHT)
- 14-15 percent increases in first call resolution (FCR)
- Up to 20 percent gains in customer satisfaction (CSAT)
- A 17 percent uplift in sales conversion rates
That drop in AHT is perhaps most notable, as it highlights how customers are less frequently asking agents to repeat themselves. Instead, conversations seem much more seamless.
The prominent BPO Everise is one Sanas client that has embraced the tech, citing its desire to deliver those free-flowing agent-customer interactions.
Sharing his thoughts on the solution, Sudhir Agarwal, Founder & CEO of Everise, stated:
“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever encountered in the history of this industry.
“Sanas has become a vital ally for our champions, allowing them to concentrate fully on resolving customer issues rather than worrying about how they sound or whether they are being understood.
“In the coming months, we expect to deploy this transformative technology in over 15,000 champions’ workstations.”
Through such partnerships, Sanas has found significant success. Indeed, it has seized the massive market opportunity for such technology in developing countries, and 60 percent of its revenue now stems from global BPOs.
Yet, it has also recognized a broader opportunity in these developing countries where English isn’t the first language. That opportunity is to leverage AI to not only modify agent accents but correct their speech in real-time, too.
According to Narayana, that’s the next frontier for Sanas. He said:
We started with background noise cancellation. Then, we moved into changing accents in real-time. Now, we’re experimenting with real-time speech correction.
As evident in this journey, Sanas aims to build an end-to-end speech stack for contact centers.
Now, Sanas is making it easier for BPOs and global enterprises to join that journey by giving away its background noise cancellation technology for free.
Contact Centers Can Claim “Free-Forever” Noise Cancellation from August
From August, Sanas Noise Cancellation will be free to contact centers globally, as announced during last week’s Customer Contact Week (CCW) event in Las Vegas.
As the name suggests, the app helps filter out background noise. Yet, it can also remove background voices with AI, something that rival software and hardware vendors often struggle with.
Moreover, Sanas promises a quick and effortless setup, 24/7 support, no PII tracking, unlimited use, and a “free-forever” guarantee.
What’s the catch? Well, Sanas is likely using the offer to land in more contact centers and – from there – possibly expand by engaging some of them with their Accent Translation tech.
However, Narayana stresses that the move aims to first and foremost support agents.
“The noise in the average contact center is 62 decibels, and some go as high as 90,” he said. “But, anything more than 50 decibels of constant exposure leads people to go certifiably deaf – and people often work in this industry for many, many years.
Once we learned this, our thought process was: we have to give away our solution for free as a way to thank the industry!
Any interested contact centers may run a “one-click download” onto agent devices, with Sanas promising an “effortless” migration and integration with existing systems.
Meanwhile, according to the vendor, those takers may minimize sound-proofing costs, leverage “next-generation” AI technology, and enhance agent confidence.
