Ever pressed 2 for French or Spanish to dodge an accent? This episode exposes the not-so-subtle bias behind “accent shopping” in customer service calls. From real-life contact center stories to AI now being used to mask employee accents as digital whitewashing, we dive deep into the uncomfortable truth: It’s not always about comprehension—it’s about who sounds “acceptable.”
So here’s how it goes…
You call a contact center. You don’t press 1 for English—because let’s be honest, you don’t want to get ‘Raj from Bangalore’ or ‘Mei from Manila.’
Nope. You press 2 for French… or Spanish.
Then go, ‘Oops! Meant English!’—knowing that bilingual reps are usually North American-born.
Welcome to Accent Shopping.
It’s not in the handbook, but it’s alive and thriving in every customer service line across North America.
And now?
Companies are using AI to MASK employee accents.
Yes. We’ve gone that far to please a customer.
So I gotta ask:
What will customers complain about now? That the AI sounded too ‘neutral’?
Let’s dive in.”
🎧 Listen as we unpack:
Why customers game language menus to avoid international voices
How AI is erasing human identity for “neutral” North American speech
What counts as a “Canadian,” "American" or “professional” accent
Real examples of bias in call transfers—and who gets deemed “Canadian enough”
Whether you’ve ever been judged for your voice or caught yourself preferring certain accents, this one’s got some real talk you need to hear.
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