Narayan AmmachchiCustomer service providers are increasingly embracing Sanas accent-matching software, despite some American analysts describing it as a ‘racist’ tool.
“More than 35,000 call center agents are using Sanas today, and we are engaged with around 20 of the 25 large global customer service providers,” claimed SANAS co-founder and President Sharath Keshava Narayana.
In the months following the launch of the software two years ago, Sanas became a political hot potato, to the extent that Sanas founders began referring to it as an “accent-harmonizing tool” rather than an accent-translating tool.
The core argument of critics is that the software dehumanizes contact center agents, reducing them to mere robots. “Those using our software appreciate it. Not a single agent has disabled it once he started using,” Sharath said in an interview with Nearshore Americas.
“People may have their voices modified to sound clearer, yes, but they may also sound more robotic,” wrote Mathew Patterson, Customer Service Content Lead at Help Scout, in a blog post, with a reference to Sanas.
Sanas software modifies in real-time an agent’s voice into a standard American accent. The criticism stems from the belief that this “standard American accent” is the accent of White Americans.
When someone says that one accent is “correct” and others are not, it essentially implies that some accents are better than others. This creates a hierarchy where some accents are viewed as superior and others as inferior, according to Patterson. However, Patterson’s allegation does not seem to have any basis. Even though accents vary from one state to another within the United States, agents serving U.S. customers primarily speak in a standard American accent.
Sharath countered, saying Sanas essentially rescues agents from becoming robots or losing their identity. Forcing someone to speak in a foreign accent is itself a form of dehumanization. “I knew it firsthand,” he continued.
As an engineering student in India, Sharath underwent a three-month accent training program that significantly altered his speech patterns. This transformation was so pronounced that his parents nicknamed him “coconut,” implying a dissonance between his external appearance and internal identity.
When he joined as a contact center agent, someone pressured him to adopt the name “Nathan” to enhance his perceived Americanness, a demand that ultimately led to his resignation. Subsequently, Sharath co-founded Sanas along with Maxim Serebryakov and Shawn Zhang.
Challenges Facing Accent tools
There are at least half a dozen companies that unveiled accent-neutral software, but none have achieved commercial scale like Sanas.
Nearshore Americas contacted Jason Jantz, founder of Readymode, a Canada-based tech solutions provider for call centers.
“I’ve seen a demo of accent-neutral software, and I have to say it’s a work in progress,” Jantz said without specifically referring to Sanas.
“With the version I was shown, there were noticeable issues with speed -or lack thereof, in this case- it took way too long to smooth out the accent.”
That was a year ago. Jantz admits that the software could have been upgraded since then. “This may be getting solved as we speak, but when I heard the demo, the delays made the software almost unusable.”
The biggest hurdle was high latency. “Imagine asking an agent a question and the reply arrives 10 seconds later. Customers won’t put up with that.” Jantz later said that accent-matching software is “a must-have” for agents.
“If accent-neutral software improves, it could certainly help level the playing field for offshore contact centers,” Jantz said.
Sharath responded by stating that the latency in Sanas is in the low milliseconds range, “therefore, we call it a real-time accent-translating tool.”
Accent Training
A large majority of global contact centers offer accent training to their agents. “It’s not a silver bullet, and it’s costly,” says Jason Jantz. A BPO with a workforce of between 500 and 1,000 agents typically allocates $500,000 to $1 million annually for accent training.
Moreover, accent improvements can fade over time if not reinforced. Without regular practice and feedback, agents may revert to their natural accent, undermining the value of the training.
“We are telling contact center agents… please talk in your own accent, we will take care of the accent,” Sharath added. As for enterprise customers, he said, “hire for talent, not for accent.”
Global Expansion
Sanas is currently available to agents in India and the Philippines. “We have told our clients not to use it elsewhere, because we are testing the software for other markets,” he added.
Not all BPOs in India or the Philippines are worried over accent. “What U.S. customers are more concerned about is the lack of knowledge and skills among contact center agents. Of course, the accent-matching software could be a good piece of innovation, but accent is not a major issue for us,” said Pranav Dalal, CEO of Office Beacon LLC.
Redondo Beach, CA-based Office Beacon offers a range of outsourcing services, employing more than 5,000 people, including in Mexico, India, and the Philippines.
“Our entire sales team is based out of India, and they sell to U.S. customers. We never trained them in accent. But they are doing extremely well, and there have been no complaints about their performance because they are armed with knowledge,” Dalal added.
Sharath claimed that due to his software, many contact centers have moved operations to India, while a few others are planning to scale up operations.
“Alorica alone could increase its headcount in India to 50,000 over the next few years,” he said. Sanas will be launched in Latin America by the end of this year and in Africa by mid-2025.
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