Devoted to the call center industry, the agents on the phones, and their managers

IBM’s India Research Laboratory has a web-based software that initially was developed for a call center in India to raise its agent’s English proficiency.  The tool seems to be like a real time online game that makes learning more fun.  It gives out a score on pronunciation, grammar and comprehension.

As I’ve mentioned in my other post, technologies are out there to help someone be more proficient in English.  This is just one among many that are trying to bridge the communication skills gap, to make outsourcing more successful and viable.  As interesting as this seem to be, I will still rely on human interaction when it needs to evaluate comprehension and the thought process behind learning a new language.

Practice has always been a critical component for continued success.  I’d like to remind call center managers and training firms that a robust program should complement the technology available in the industry.  This is just the first step.

So, would I recommend investing in software such as this?  I would have to do my own calculations and determine the return of investment (ROI) based on the level of students who are to use this technology and length of the learning curve for someone to be “call center ready”.

Any takers out there?