Do Accents of Customer Service Agents Affect Customer Satisfaction?

OABPO Blog Team Published on February 28, 2014 Last updated on October 10, 2020

Yes, the accent of a customer service representative does have an impact on the customer’s satisfaction.

multilingual customer service team speaking to customers in call center

This is what a Zendesk research revealed, underscoring that “The problem with foreign call centers are the foreign accents.”

However, the software development company disclaimed that not all outsourced call centers fail at customer satisfaction.

Zendesk also guessed that the service vendors may not provide sufficient accent training to foreign staff. In addition, the call equipment might even be the one causing customers to mishear agents over the phone.

The customers’ reason for calling could also have an effect on their understanding or reception of the person on the other line. The study says that callers making inquiries and expecting to receive a product are the most satisfied customers, while people who call to complain or check the status of their order are the most dissatisfied.

Whatever the main reason may be, we should not discount the fact that the manner your agent pronounces words still has an impact on your customer’s satisfaction.

To emphasize how much accents really matter, refer to these figures garnered by customer feedback insights and analytics firm CFI Group:

  • Customers handled by American agents rate their satisfaction at an average of 79%
  • Customers handled by foreign representatives are only 58% satisfied

When it comes to customer service effectiveness, here is how foreign-accent call center agents fared against American representatives:

  • Problem resolved: US - 94%; non-US - 85%
  • Problem resolved on first call: US - 67%%; non-US - 50%
  • Problem handled by more than one agent: US - 21%; foreign - 32%
  • Ease of understanding: US - 85%; foreign - 54%
  • Effectiveness in handling issue: US - 84%; foreign - 62%
  • Courteousness: US - 87%; foreign - 75%
  • Interest in helping: US - 85%; foreign - 70%
  • Overall satisfaction: US - 85%; foreign - 66%

In the issue of trust, accent also plays a significant role. The University of Chicago pointed out that if the customers cannot understand the agent, they cannot give their trust. And the heavier the accent, the less information the agent could get from the person on the phone.

Should these numbers discourage you from outsourcing customer service?

customer service agent talking to customer using laptop

Outsourcing is still advisable, especially if you choose BPO centers where voice services are dominantly delivered in the English language.

Companies that concentrate on this are mostly found in countries where the official language is English or in territories where Western culture has a great influence.

As the aforementioned Zendesk research said, accents may only become a problem if the outsourcing firm lacks the right training, so look for a service vendor that goes beyond intonation exercise and focuses more on familiarizing agents with the cultural and lingual context of the customers they serve.

Get in touch with Open Access BPO to outsource your English and multilingual business needs to our highly skilled teams.

Read More

Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 5 days ago
Aside from the location advantage, the 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 in Southeast Asia because of these Filipino qualities:
• neutral accent;
• multilingual proficiency;
• dedicated work ethics;
• resilience and adaptability; and
• close affinity with Western cultures.

Read: https://buff.ly/47sGAKD

----------
Partner with a #CallCenter with strong #CustomerExperience expertise: OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CustomerService
#CustomerSatisfaction #CSat #CX
Open Access BPO 5 days ago
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 is a valuable metric to determine the challenges your #CustomerSupport team will face.
It allows you to manage your team and distribute the workload accordingly, paving the way for an efficient operational output.

Read: https://buff.ly/3R0VCk2

----------
Effective employee and ops management ensure high #productivity for optimal 24/7 coverage.

So, only partner with an #outsourcing specialist with robust and foolproof ops strategies that will make your brand soar: OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerExperience #CustomerService
Open Access BPO 6 days ago
Creating culturally diverse teams in #CallCenters is not just a moral imperative but a strategic advantage.

Here are 6 more compelling reasons for ensuring #CulturalDiversity in the workplace: https://buff.ly/3MYaCO6

----------
Choose an #outsourcing partner with diverse teams and cultures:
OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#diversity #inclusitivity
Open Access BPO 6 days ago
This expansion is a strategic move that signifies a major milestone in 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢's continuous growth and dedication to serving its expanding international clientele.

It enhances the company's capacity to manage additional programs, grow its teams, and create job opportunities for Davao-based

more via KRON 4 News
https://buff.ly/3sVKUD7
Open Access BPO 7 days ago
𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐦-𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 #𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬.

It's humans vs algorithm in this blog post! Read all about it now: https://buff.ly/3uybgeN

----------
Outsource content moderation and other business or knowledge process needs: buff.ly/3sJxKJl

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 7 days ago
#CallCenter Team Leaders drive progress and ensure exceptional #CustomerExperience.

Want to unlock the secrets to becoming an extraordinary leader for your team?

Here are the 5 biggest enemies of great leadership, along with a few tips on how to be a good leader: https://buff.ly/3G7P2Dc

----------
Partner with Open Access BPO. We have great call center agents and team leaders to guarantee your brand's growth: https://buff.ly/47MoEKX

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO