Indian English: It's OK

A foreign accent is no more a pre-requisite for call-centre jobs
Even as critics cry hoarse about the accent problem that executives at Indian call centres have, that fact that calls are out-sourced from India to international destinations is gaining more and more acceptance in the global marketplace. And the biggest pointer in this direction is the fact that more and more clients in the UK, US and Australia who''re out-sourcing work from India are insisting that Indian call-centre executives retain their original names while making calls to customers abroad.
"Earlier, we used to give an American or British name to the executives. But now we are getting requests from American and British clients to use the original name," said Rahul Todi, director of one of the bigger call centres in the city. In fact for those executives who have complicated Indian names that a foreign customer might have a problem pronouncing, the suggestion is to give him or her an easier, but Indian name. "It''s a positive pointer for the trade. It shows that most of the client servicing jobs are now with India, Thailand and Phillipines," added Harsh Hada, yet another entrepreneur from the industry. "Our overseas clients have told us that when someone with an Indian accent calls up with an American or British name, the customers find it difficult to trust someone who''s giving a false name to begin with," added Todi.
And with that, the accent problem has also been neutralised. "We have been asked not to fake an accent, as that makes it more difficult for the customer to understand us. Speaking slowly in an Indian accent is better, we are told," said Sonia Paul, a call centre executive in the city.
himika.chaudhuri@timesgroup.com