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News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Call centre AI-powered ‘accent naturaliser' tech arrives in Australia
If you've ever hung up the phone in frustration at a call centre worker because you can't understand their accent, Richard Valente feels your pain. 'I'm the same — I hang up on those calls,' he said. Which may come as a surprise, given Mr Valente is the Australian vice president of customer experience strategy at Teleperformance (TP), the French multinational that provides call centre support for around 40 of Australia's largest companies including telcos and utilities. TP, which employs some 65,000 workers in the Philippines and more than 100,000 in India, is leveraging the power of AI to make the experience of 'troubleshooting an energy bill or checking a flight delay' a little less frustrating with the rollout of AI-powered, real-time 'accent naturaliser' technology. 'The biggest frustration is if I can't understand that person — it's a pretty s****y experience,' Mr Valente said. Sanas, a California-based start-up, uses patented, real-time accent translation technology to 'eliminate communication barriers, including pronounced accents and noise cancellation'. TP made a $US13 million equity investment in Sanas earlier this year and gained exclusive reseller rights. Mr Valente said the intention of the technology was not disguise where the caller was coming from but to enhance the clarity of communication to improve the experience for all involved. 'My own father is 93, if he's calling his utility company or even his bank, primarily it's someone overseas,' he said. 'There's background noise, he would then have challenges with understanding [their accent]. Step one is getting rid of the background noise … then it just rounds out their pronunciation as well.' TP's clients can take advantage of Sanas tech for a 'low cost' monthly subscription. For now, the translated voice coming from Manila or Mumbai will have a decidedly American twang, but Mr Valente said Aussie accents could be on the way. 'We are pushing to have an Australian tone,' he said. 'We're [also] trying to leverage the technology in reverse at the moment [to help] our agents understand Australians. The ocker accent is pretty difficult to understand for Australians let alone those not born in Australia. Nothing is more frustrating than when you keep repeating the same word over and over and the person you're speaking to doesn't understand what you're saying.' Mr Valente adds that the technology will be 'just as relevant in Australia as overseas'. 'One third of the population of Australia weren't born in Australia,' he said. 'The percentage of those who are applying for call centre-based jobs [in Australia] is 50 per cent or greater. English is not their first language. We recommend this technology to all our customers just to provide a better experience.' TP employs around 500,000 people globally and has operations in 100 countries, including Australia where it is seeking to boost its onshore presence after years of call centre offshoring. 'Sales is becoming more relevant and leveraging this [Sanas] technology will empower organisations,' Mr Valente said. 'Cost effectiveness within the Australian market is becoming a challenge. It's not necessarily wages. What we're seeing from many organisations is one, talent within the market is a big issue, and also maintaining [the workforce]. The attrition rate for sales is very high.' The company's 'hybrid onshore-offshore' push includes a new 'near-shore' focus on Indonesia, where it is seeking to recruit Bali-based Australian expats to work in call centres in between surfing and knocking back Bintangs. But the majority of TP's workers will still be non-native English speakers, which is where Sanas comes in. 'I always encountered verbal abuse from customers, especially with my accent and also intonation,' Pamela from the Philippines says in one demo on the Sanas website. 'It's really hard for us to make a personal connection with a customer.' Mr Valente said TP was focused on providing 'outcomes for organisations and for their customers and also it's around satisfaction'. 'We measure the experience of our interactions, there is an expectation with our customers that we provide a good experience,' he said. 'Clarity of voice and sound and being understood is important. It doesn't matter how [competent the representative is], if they can't be understood and heard you're going to be pretty p****d off. It's all about clarity.'
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Business Standard
29-04-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Deployable AI use cases in big firms very limited: Teleperformance CEO
Julien talked about the hype and reality of artificial intelligence (AI), and the importance of India as well as other new emerging countries in the business Premium Surajeet Das Gupta Listen to This Article For Paris-headquartered business process management giant Teleperformance (now rebranded TP), India accounts for over 20 per cent of its 500,000-strong workforce, and the country is also its most profitable and high-growth market. Teleperfomance Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Daniel Julien, who was recently in New Delhi, talked about the hype and reality of artificial intelligence (AI), and the importance of India and other emerging countries in the business, with Surajeet Das Gupta in a video interview. Edited excerpts: Teleperformance has many top global companies as their clients with whom you work closely. How are they using AI and digital
The Independent
17-04-2025
- The Independent
Funeral held in Kenya for TikTok content moderator following death in unclear circumstances
The funeral was held on Thursday for a Kenya-based Nigerian content moderator who died in unclear circumstances last month. Ladi Anzaki Olubunmi's decomposed remains were found on March 7 at her apartment on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, three days after she failed to show up at work. Among the mourners was her elder brother, who travelled to Nairobi for the emotional ceremony. He was overcome by grief as friends and colleagues eulogized Olubunmi as 'selfless.' Olubunmi, 43, who was employed as a TikTok content moderator subcontracted by a global outsourcing firm, Teleperformance, had complained of fatigue before her death, the cause of which has not been revealed. She had been living in Kenya since 2022 and only managed to travel back home once, despite having an annual return ticket benefit in her employment contract. Colleagues said she was 'desperate to go home' but was denied leave. Teleperformance Kenya said in a statement in March that she wasn't denied leave to travel home. In a tribute, a company spokesperson described Olubunmi as 'a selfless, compassionate and deeply caring individual.' Content moderators working for subcontracted firms based in Kenya have in the past described working conditions that they say include lower than average pay, lack of mental health support, long working hours and intimidation. More than 100 former Facebook content moderators have sued the social media company over what they say is poor pay and working conditions and unfair termination of employment. Tauheed Tayo Yakubu, a colleague of Olubunmi, described her as a champion for better working conditions, detailing how in November 2023 she staged a walkout for Nigerian colleagues demanding for valid work permits. 'She requested that every Nigerian leave the job immediately and then we all marched,' he said.
Associated Press
17-04-2025
- Associated Press
Funeral held in Kenya for TikTok content moderator following death in unclear circumstances
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The funeral was held on Thursday for a Kenya-based Nigerian content moderator who died in unclear circumstances last month. Ladi Anzaki Olubunmi's decomposed remains were found on March 7 at her apartment on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, three days after she failed to show up at work. Among the mourners was her elder brother, who travelled to Nairobi for the emotional ceremony. He was overcome by grief as friends and colleagues eulogized Olubunmi as 'selfless.' Olubunmi, 43, who was employed as a TikTok content moderator subcontracted by a global outsourcing firm, Teleperformance, had complained of fatigue before her death, the cause of which has not been revealed. She had been living in Kenya since 2022 and only managed to travel back home once, despite having an annual return ticket benefit in her employment contract. Colleagues said she was 'desperate to go home' but was denied leave. Teleperformance Kenya said in a statement in March that she wasn't denied leave to travel home. In a tribute, a company spokesperson described Olubunmi as 'a selfless, compassionate and deeply caring individual.' Content moderators working for subcontracted firms based in Kenya have in the past described working conditions that they say include lower than average pay, lack of mental health support, long working hours and intimidation. More than 100 former Facebook content moderators have sued the social media company over what they say is poor pay and working conditions and unfair termination of employment. Tauheed Tayo Yakubu, a colleague of Olubunmi, described her as a champion for better working conditions, detailing how in November 2023 she staged a walkout for Nigerian colleagues demanding for valid work permits. 'She requested that every Nigerian leave the job immediately and then we all marched,' he said.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Funeral held in Kenya for TikTok content moderator following death in unclear circumstances
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The funeral was held on Thursday for a Kenya-based Nigerian content moderator who died in unclear circumstances last month. Ladi Anzaki Olubunmi's decomposed remains were found on March 7 at her apartment on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, three days after she failed to show up at work. Among the mourners was her elder brother, who travelled to Nairobi for the emotional ceremony. He was overcome by grief as friends and colleagues eulogized Olubunmi as 'selfless.' Olubunmi, 43, who was employed as a TikTok content moderator subcontracted by a global outsourcing firm, Teleperformance, had complained of fatigue before her death, the cause of which has not been revealed. She had been living in Kenya since 2022 and only managed to travel back home once, despite having an annual return ticket benefit in her employment contract. Colleagues said she was 'desperate to go home' but was denied leave. Teleperformance Kenya said in a statement in March that she wasn't denied leave to travel home. In a tribute, a company spokesperson described Olubunmi as 'a selfless, compassionate and deeply caring individual.' Content moderators working for subcontracted firms based in Kenya have in the past described working conditions that they say include lower than average pay, lack of mental health support, long working hours and intimidation. More than 100 former Facebook content moderators have sued the social media company over what they say is poor pay and working conditions and unfair termination of employment. Tauheed Tayo Yakubu, a colleague of Olubunmi, described her as a champion for better working conditions, detailing how in November 2023 she staged a walkout for Nigerian colleagues demanding for valid work permits. 'She requested that every Nigerian leave the job immediately and then we all marched,' he said.
