Japan: SoftBank’s ‘emotion canceling’ AI tones down customers’ anger
SoftBank is using AI to combat customer harassment in call centers. Its "emotion canceling" technology softens angry customers' voices.
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SoftBank’s new ‘emotion canceling’ AI turns customer screams into soft speech
The “emotion cancelling” technology aims to reduce stress levels among call center operators by softening the tone of angry customers’ voices.
Updated: Jun 14, 2024 07:16 AM EST
Aman Tripathi
15 hours ago
3 minutes
0
Stock image of angry man yelling while using cell phone.
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Japanese tech titan SoftBank Corp has unveiled a groundbreaking solution to address the rising issue of customer harassment in call centers. The company has developed an AI-powered voice-altering technology that can transform even the angriest callers’ voices into calmer tones.
The system, dubbed “emotion canceling,” aims to alleviate the stress experienced by call center operators who often bear the brunt of customers’ frustrations.
“We are working on the development of a solution that can convert the customer’s voice into a calm conversational tone and deliver it to our workers using AI-enabled emotion recognition and voice processing technology,” SoftBank said in a press release.
The company’s press release emphasized the importance of maintaining good customer relationships while ensuring the psychological well-being of its workers.
Two-stage protective mechanism
The development of the system was prompted by a television program highlighting the verbal abuse call center staff often endure.Toshiyuki Nakatani, a SoftBank employee, was inspired to create a solution to protect others from such harassment.
The technology operates in two stages. First, it employs AI voice-processing to identify angry callers and analyze the characteristics of their speech. Subsequently, it incorporates acoustic features of non-threatening voices to create a calmer, more natural tone.
To achieve this, the AI was trained on over 10,000 voice data samples, with 10 actors recording more than 100 common phrases expressing various emotions, including anger and frustration. While the technology does not alter the caller’s words, it significantly modifies the intonation, making it less aggressive.
However, SoftBank ensures that the system does not completely eliminate all traces of anger, allowing operators to understand the situation and respond appropriately.
SoftBank’s “emotion canceling” system currently only works in Japanese. However, the company is currently exploring the possibility of extending this technology to other languages for international markets.
Notably, initial systems are expected to be available by April of next year, with pricing yet to be determined.
Rise of customer harassment
SoftBank’s initiative comes at a time when Japan is grappling with the issue of customer harassment in the service industry, with the government considering legislation to strengthen worker protection.The need for such a solution is evident from a recent survey by UA Zensen, Japan’s largest industrial union, which revealed that nearly 47% of service industry workers have experienced customer harassment in the past two years.
Over 100 respondents reported seeking psychiatric help due to the harassment.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is taking steps to address the growing problem of customer harassment by introducing a local ordinance to ban “abusive and unreasonable demands that harm workplace environments.”
Need for positive interactions
Roy Larke, an expert on Japanese consumer behavior, told SCMP that factors such as higher levels of stress caused by inflation, discontent on social media, and the influence of foreign tourists could be contributing to the rise in customer harassment.He even suggested that Japanese consumers may need to reassess their expectations and demand less formality in service interactions.
That said, SoftBank’s “emotion canceling” technology represents a significant step towards addressing the problem of customer harassment in call centers.
By utilizing AI to create a calmer communication environment, the company hopes to protect its employees’ well-being and foster positive interactions with customers.
