The right time to speak right

The right time to speak right

 

 

THE FLOURISHING BPO SECTOR HAS GENERATED EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR VOICE AND ACCENT TRAINERS. HOW SKILLED COMMUNICATORS CAN SHARE THEIR TALENTS WITH BUDDING BPO PROFESSIONALS AND EXPECT ENVIABLE MONETARY RETURNS

 

THE BPO industry is booming like never before, and since voice and accent training is acknowledged as an essential requirement in the BPO industry, an individual with a good command over his speech, can pursue a career as a voice and accent trainer with great ease. Voice and accent trainers make your voice globally intelligible and teach young aspirants basic speech skills like when they should pause and how they can regulate their speech.

TALENT TO TALK

Although, there are no specific educational qualifications required to be a voice and accent trainer, a basic graduate degree is generally the prerequisite and a degree in English could be beneficial.
   The skills required vary depending on the project and the type of business that is being handled. However, trainers need to have a natural instinct for the language, a sound knowledge of grammar and the ability to accept feedback while training. Deeksha Singh, manager partner, WCH Training Solutions, New Delhi, explains, “A voice and accent trainer polishes the already present linguistic skills in an employee. The trainer helps improve communication skills, trains individuals on concepts related to listening and dealing with various customer types by using voice modulation and other soft skills.”
   As a voice and accent trainer, one should be comfortable with the language, including aspects like pronunciation, spellings, grammar, vocabulary and fluency in verbal English. While earlier, executives were required to be trained in a specific American or British accent, today, a neutral, global English is the norm.
   Another important quality is a natural ease with people, and the ability to associate with them. One also needs to be creative in order to invent ways to keep up the energy levels during the training process. Many companies prefer to hire candidates with experience. But anyone, whether it is a housewife, a fresh graduate or even a retired professional, has the option of joining and can join the industry if they have the requisite skill-set.

TRAINING TIME

“There is no standard timeframe for training, as this occurs mostly on the job. However, it may vary between four to 12 weeks,” reveals Amit Rautela, business manager, People Tree, the ITeS centric strategic business unit of TechTree IT Systems. He adds further, “The areas covered are accent training, syllable stress, phonetics knowledge, slang training, cross culture knowledge, accent neutralisation, telephone/ telesales etiquette, interaction skills, customer relationship, management skills and call centre terminology.”

JOB PROSPECTS

There are many institutes, where voice and accent trainers are employed. Most large BPOs have an in-house training and development team to facilitate continuous learning. Besides, call centres, one can seek employment with call centre finishing/training schools, which have sprung up all over the country. Rhea DeMelo, CEO, London Institute of Corporate Training, says “There are many options open to a good speech trainer today. They can join corporations, airlines, or even the retail industry, as most companies have to match global standards.”

LET’S TALK MONEY

The pay package differs with every organisation, and the scale of its operations.
   “A voice and accent trainer starts with Rs 22,000 to Rs 30,000 per-month. Senior trainers can earn between Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 permonth,” elaborates Deeksha.

SKILLS


• Natural ease with the language, good grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation

• Creative teaching methods and comfort

MONEY


• Associate voice coach: Up to Rs 20,000 per month

• Voice and accent trainer: Up to Rs 30,000 per month

• Senior trainer: Up to Rs 40,000 per month

INSTITUTE WATCH


• People Tree, Noida

• Mind Speed, Bangalore

• Academia, Bangalore

• London Institute of Speech and Personality Development, Mumbai

• Aaroha, Mumbai

• AccuSense Global Technologies, Kanpur

• Ma Foi, Chennai