Accent Bias Against Agents: The Hidden Enemy of Your Contact Center

The modern contact centers, often representing a melting pot of different languages and accents, deal with customers feeling suspicious and spammed when communicating with a non-native speaker, which, when not an isolated case, becomes a root cause of the high customer churn rate. At the same time, there is another use case where a customer’s accent can become a challenge for agents to complete inquiry with success. 

Understanding and facing accent bias is one step to eliminating the challenge, and not by replacing non-native speakers with native speakers (in the case of customers it is not even possible), and not even heavily investing in employee training (though this can also be a great solution). We are talking about technologies that have taken the stage to handle customer service processes. Now it’s time to handle accent bias.

What is Accent Bias?

Accent bias occurs when judgments about an individual’s intelligence, professionalism, or trustworthiness are based solely on their accent rather than their actual communication skills or message content. According to the Journal of Language and Social Psychology, individuals with non-dominant accents are often perceived as less competent or credible, despite their proficiency in the language. This is why customers often refuse to continue communicating with non-native speakers. For businesses, it means replacing whole teams (if outsourced) or individuals only because of such an outdated experience as accent bias. The same bias may be a case for agents not being able to deal with certain customers and causing customers feel discriminated. 

This unconscious bias present In everyday life (and yet it may not be taken seriously), it is compounded in professional settings, where verbal communication is crucial, such as in contact centers.

Being judged by accent rather than personal abilities and skills, people try to change their accents, which may be even more disturbing if interpreted as forcing people to change their nature, their culture, and their identity. The truth is, that everyone speaks with an accent as a member of a certain group. It means British English can be judged just like Indian English, but in reality, it is not. 

Common Myths about Accent Bias

• Accents Indicate Language Proficiency:

Fact: Proficiency in a language does not equate to adopting a specific accent. For instance, many Indian contact center agents possess superior grammatical and conversational English skills compared to native speakers but are often stereotyped due to their accents. 

• Neutral Accents are More Effective:

Fact: What is deemed "neutral" is often culturally subjective and reflects societal power dynamics. Research from the University of Chicago revealed that biases against "non-standard" accents stem more from familiarity than clarity.

Causes of Accent Bias

• Sociocultural Conditioning: Media portrayals and societal narratives often picture certain accents with negative traits, such as lack of sophistication or education. Studies by Stanford University indicate that such biases are learned behaviors that stem from early exposure to these stereotypes. You can’t blame people for the attitudes they were taught.

• Ingroup-Outgroup Dynamics: Linguists have identified a tendency for individuals to favor accents that align with their own sociolinguistic identity, leading to unconscious discrimination against others.

Accent bias in its form is discrimination. While other forms of discrimination based on race, gender, or nationality are prohibited by law, preferring native speakers over non-native speakers is still referred to as a matter of job competency (European Journal of Social Psychology).

The Impact of Accent Bias on Contact Centers

Accent bias is a two-sided sword that can negatively impact both business success and employee experience. 

Effects on Agents

• Decreased Morale and Job Satisfaction: A survey by Gallup (2022) found that 67% of contact center agents reported feeling undervalued when their accents were criticized by customers or colleagues. This led to reduced engagement and lower job satisfaction.
• Higher Turnover Rates: The contact center industry already experiences high annual turnover rates of 30–45%, according to Deloitte. Accent bias makes the matter worse by creating an unwelcoming work environment for agents, particularly those from non-dominant linguistic backgrounds.
• Impact on career progression: Being more acceptable than other forms of discrimination, accent bias still becomes a decisive factor during hiring or career progression favoring employees with native accents. 60% of employees claim they had to change their accent to have a chance for career progression.
• Lack of diversity and inclusion: 81% of employees have to change their behavior to match the peers and work environment to be taken more seriously or simply secure their places. 

Effects on Agents dealing with Customer Accent

• Increased Cognitive Load: Dealing with unfamiliar accents requires agents to put in extra effort to comprehend the customer's message. This can lead to cognitive fatigue, especially during long shifts or high-stress situations. A study by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) highlights that tasks requiring intense mental effort over prolonged periods can result in decreased productivity and higher error rates.
• Communication Breakdown: Misunderstandings caused by accent differences can lead to frequent interruptions, requests for clarification, or incorrect responses. This can frustrate both the agent and the customer, causing the interaction to feel unproductive.
• Emotional Stress: Agents may feel pressured to perform well despite struggling to understand certain customers. This pressure can lead to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and frustration, especially if they face repeated negative feedback from customers who blame them for communication issues. Emotional stress, over time, contributes to burnout—a significant challenge in the contact center's performance.
• Escalation Rates and Poor Performance Metrics: Higher escalation rates are a common result of agents being unable to resolve customer inquiries due to different challenges including accent. This negatively affects first call resolution (FCR) and average handling time (AHT). In turn, agents may face criticism from management, further affecting their morale and confidence.
• Bias and Perception: Agents dealing with customers from diverse linguistic backgrounds may inadvertently adopt biases or develop negative perceptions about certain accents, especially if they frequently encounter difficulties with those customers. This creates a cycle of bias that transforms into poor interactions and dissatisfaction.

Effects on Customer Experience

• Communication Challenges and Frustration: Research from the Harvard Business Review found that customers often misunderstand or dismiss information provided by agents with non-native accents, even when the content is accurate and clear.
• Unfair Reviews and Complaints: Analysis of 10,000 customer reviews from various industries revealed that 20% of negative feedback was directly related to an agent's accent rather than the quality of service provided.

Business Consequences

• Lower Customer Satisfaction Scores (CSAT): Poor interactions due to accent bias directly impact CSAT. A meta-analysis by ContactBabel revealed that a single negative interaction caused by accent-related bias could result in a 33% drop in the likelihood of customer retention.
• Financial Losses: Contact centers lose an estimated $15 billion annually due to inefficiencies caused by high turnover rates and retraining costs, much of which stems from unresolved communication barriers.Operational inefficiencies: Accent bias can be a root cause of inefficient communication. On average, the cost for a single call is $5-12, and anything impacting the call duration directly leads to higher costs for the business.

Some regions with strong local accents experience a higher bias level. 

Identifying Accent Bias in the Organization

Once the competent members (be it direct managers or HR specialists) face and recognize the issue and explore the cases of how the accent bias manifested when communicating with customers, it can be said for sure that the organization is one step closer to dealing with this bias.

Customer management analytics should include the completion rate when dealing with customers who have different accents. Businesses should understand that misunderstanding caused by accent is a double-sided sword and that it should be treated from both edges. 

Strategies to Combat Accent Bias

Acknowledging the unconscious bias is an inevitable step to minimizing and eventually eliminating the accent bias. And the first department to start with is recruitment staff, as hiring practices are often the first point where bias can manifest. Once internal biases are addressed, organizations are better equipped to handle customer-facing issues, ensuring consistent efforts across all levels of the business.

Educating and Training Teams

• Unconscious Bias Training: Programs focused on cultural diversity can have shown significant impact when delivered on time. Two most effective strategies to foster a non-biased attitude are real-world scenarios that show how accent bias impacts workplace dynamics. Role-plays and tools can also help employees practice building empathy.
• Inclusive Work Culture: Promoting a culture where accents are seen as assets rather than obstacles creates a more supportive environment for agents. This idea should be part of corporate culture and regularly advocated in corporate learning programs. Still, this step will not solve the communication problems and use cases when customers refuse to communicate or struggle understanding the accent. 

Improving Communication

• Speech Speed and Clarity Adjustment: Tools like Hecttor.ai offer real-time speech speed adjustment, allowing agents to modulate costumers’ speaking pace for improved clarity without compromising their natural accent. This AI technology can be especially useful in reducing customer frustration when not understood by agents, as it adapts communication to individual customer preferences. Hecttor.ai offers full control of the speaking pace of a customer. This is a win-win solution to make the conversation maximum effective with the highest satisfaction rate.
• Emphasis on Listening Skills: While much attention is placed on agents’ speech, listening skills are equally important. Important strategies include active listening, tone mirroring to build rapport, recognizing non-verbal cues during interaction, and others. 
• Real-Time Transcription and Support: Transcription tools ensure that customers and agents have an additional reference point during calls, reducing frustration caused by misunderstandings. Such technologies are just starting to be tested and have a lower accuracy rate, especially when it comes to non-native languages. 

Recruitment and Support

• Skill-Based Hiring Practices: Eliminating accent-based discrimination during hiring ensures a more diverse and competent workforce. For example, adopting blind recruitment practices has been shown to improve workplace diversity by up to 46% (Society for Human Resource Management).
• Emotional and Professional Support: Establishing programs to support agents, such as mental health counseling or mentorship, can mitigate the stress caused by workplace bias.

Leveraging Technology to Address Accent Bias

Contact centers generally hire employees with a neutral accent, but this approach is outdated because most organizations are not outsourcing contact centers and the “neutrality” is no longer a feature to go after. Instead, organizations are largely implementing AI-based technologies that support customer-agent communication. And let’s not foger about the other side of a coin, i.e, customer accent that can now be dealt only with technology.  

• Accent Adaptation Tools: AI tools like Sanas offer real-time accent neutralization, allowing agents to communicate in a way that reduces misunderstandings without altering their authenticity.

• Bias Detection Algorithms: AI-driven analytics can identify biased interactions, helping managers intervene and provide constructive feedback.

Applying the SEEDS Model to Mitigate Biases

The SEEDS model is a framework designed to identify and mitigate unconscious biases by categorizing them into five key domains: 

• Similarity Bias: Favoring people who are similar to ourselves in background, experiences, or preferences.

• Expedience Bias: Making quick judgments based on limited information to save cognitive effort.

• Experience Bias: Over-relying on past experiences as a lens for understanding new situations.

• Distance Bias: Valuing things that are closer in time or space over those farther away.

• Safety Bias: Giving disproportionate attention to perceived threats over potential opportunities.

How SEEDS Can Address Accent Bias

The SEEDS model is particularly effective in addressing accent bias by breaking down the automatic thought processes that lead to discriminatory judgments. Here's how each component can be applied:

• Similarity Bias:

  • Challenge: People tend to gravitate toward accents that are familiar or culturally similar to their own, leading to favoritism or discrimination.

  • Solution: Training programs under the SEEDS framework can teach teams to value linguistic diversity and consciously counteract their tendency to favor familiar accents. This could include structured exercises like cross-cultural exchanges or exposure to diverse accents.

• Expedience Bias:

  • Challenge: Customers or colleagues may form snap judgments about an agent’s competence based on their accent.

  • Solution: Encourage slowing down decision-making processes during recruitment and performance evaluations to ensure that assessments are based on objective criteria rather than immediate impressions.

• Experience Bias:

  • Challenge: Relying on stereotypes or previous negative interactions with individuals of similar accents can perpetuate bias.

  • Solution: Conduct workshops to debunk stereotypes about specific accents and provide evidence of the skills and achievements of agents with diverse linguistic backgrounds.

• Distance Bias:

  • Challenge: Accents that are geographically or culturally distant may be perceived as less relatable or trustworthy.

  • Solution: Increase contact with diverse teams and customers to reduce perceived distance. For example, virtual team-building exercises or customer empathy simulations can foster familiarity with different accents.

• Safety Bias:

  • Challenge: Customers or hiring managers may perceive accents as a barrier to communication and view them as risks to effective service.

  • Solution: Educate stakeholders about the strengths of agents with diverse accents, emphasizing how their cultural and linguistic backgrounds enrich communication rather than hinder it.

Hecttor.ai: Redefining Communication in Contact Centers

All the above-discussed use cases are mostly about agents’ accents and the ways to make their work comfortable but contact centers have absolutely no control over customers’ accents besides using one new solution. Hecttor.ai is designed to optimize agent-customer communication by addressing two common challenges: speech speed and clarity. Unlike traditional solutions that may attempt to neutralize accents entirely, Hecttor.ai focuses on adapting the communication pace, ensuring agents can take over customer speech speed control and adjust it when needed.

Key Features of Hecttor.ai:

• Real-Time Speech Adjustment: Hecttor.ai provides real-time adjustments to speech speed, allowing agents to adapt customers’ pace to match their preferences. This ensures smoother conversations.
• Clarity Optimization: The tool enhances speech clarity by using advanced AI algorithms to reduce misunderstandings. It focuses on improving the intelligibility of communication without compromising the speaker’s authenticity.
• User-Friendly Integration: Hecttor.ai seamlessly integrates with existing contact center systems. Its intuitive interface ensures quick adoption, enabling agents to use the tool effectively without extensive training or technical expertise.
• Customer-Driven Personalization: The platform tailors communication to individual preferences, dynamically adapting to their comfort levels. This personalized approach fosters better understanding, and creates a more engaging interaction experience.

Impact on Accent Bias:

• Supporting Agents: Hecttor.ai ensures that agents with non-native language feel confident in their ability to communicate effectively without being forced to change their speech patterns.
• Reducing Customer Frustration: By aligning speech speed and clarity with the agent’s preferences, it minimizes the likelihood of misunderstandings often attributed to accent differences.
• Promoting Authenticity: Unlike accent-neutralization tools, Hecttor.ai maintains the authenticity of the speaker’s voice, reinforcing the value of linguistic diversity in customer interactions.

Why Hecttor.ai Stands Out

Unlike other AI solutions that may focus on accent neutralization or detection, Hecttor.ai bridges the gap between preserving authenticity and enhancing communication efficiency. By addressing operational pain points without erasing cultural identity, the tool helps organizations build a more inclusive and effective customer service experience.

Incorporating Hecttor.ai into a broader strategy to combat accent bias allows companies to ensure that their agents are both understood and appreciated.

Conclusion

Accent bias is not merely a social issue; it’s a business challenge that demands immediate attention. Addressing it requires a complex approach—rooted in training, policy changes, and technology integration. For businesses, dealing with accent bias is not just about fairness; it’s about fostering a high-performing workforce while delivering superior customer experiences. Only through sustained efforts and a strategic approach can organizations truly see the contact center impact on business success.