Case Study: Accent Neutralization Solution Increases CX Satisfaction by 3.65%

Challenge

When our US-based utility client decided to move offshore, there was understandable apprehension about their customers’ reactions to non-native speakers. The client wanted to ensure that communication barriers would not negatively impact service or customer satisfaction.

Solution

We took this concern to heart and focused on developing a solution that improves voice clarity, reduces local accents and minimizes background noise to enhance both customer and agent experiences. Within 30 days of the client meeting, Qualfon presented a proposal outlining the problem statement, proposed solution and pilot plan deployment. The pilot was operational three weeks after approval.

Qualfon deployed a proprietary solution to enhance customer-agent communication by making agents’ speech more understandable. The solution uses a combination of live accent neutralization, improved voice clarity and reduced background noise—facilitated by AI-driven real-time processing—to improve calls in real-time.

The solution was tested with a pilot group of agents over six months. During the pilot, we assessed the impact on customer satisfaction (CSAT) weekly, comparing pilot calls against a control group. Pilot data was shared with the clients in regular calibration sessions, which demonstrated the solution was having a positive effect. Initially piloted with 10 agents in Manila, Philippines, the deployment expanded to 100 agents offshore and went live across the entire team in June 2024.

Results

The pilot group showed significant improvements across multiple metrics:

• Average Handle Time (AHT): Reduced by 40 seconds, a 45% improvement.
• Client Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Improved by 3.65%
  • As with an NPS score, even small percentage changes in CSAT are highly impactful, indicating meaningful shifts in customer satisfaction.
• Quality Assurance (QA): Improved by 1.21%
  • This notable improvement reflects enhanced agent performance, with even small gains signifying substantial progress in meeting quality standards.
• Voice Clarity: 16.45% drop in instances of unclear speech due to agents’ accent, pronunciation and background noise issues.

Additional Insight

Voice clarity was further validated through our real-time call coaching technology, which analyzed agent tonality on all calls with near real-time feedback. Prior to the deployment of the Qualfon Qlarity solution, negative agent interactions dropped to 19.47%, highlighting a significant improvement in the comprehensibility of agents’ speech.

Conclusion

The deployment of the Qualfon Qlarity solution successfully enhanced communication and overall performance for our client’s program. With improvements in average handle time, customer satisfaction scores, quality assurance and voice clarity, the solution has proven very effective. As part of Qualfon’s support for first-time outsourcers, Qualfon Qlarity offers a proven innovation to help overcome the anxiety surrounding offshoring decisions, positioning Qualfon as a trusted partner.