Junk the fake accent, young workers in India’sbooming outsourcing industry are being told, and instead speak up, speak clearly and get to the point.Indian workers are known to shrink from being direct with customers or bosses, a cultural trait leaders of India’s booming outsourcing business say must change and make the leap to helping clients build stronger businesses by adding value to low-cost services.

When the outsourcing boom got underway in the late 1990s, companies tried to ease Western fears of jobs moving offshore by training workers to use American and British accents when speaking to clients.

But industry leaders say they believe resentment in the West over outsourcing jobs to low-wage countries is waning so now they’re trying to get workers to improve projects, not simply complete whatever is assigned.

While handling back office work, Indian workers are being encouraged to suggest options to improve software programs or simplify procedures. When dealing with overseas callers checking their bank balance, Indian workers are told to take notes and observe customer behavior so they can report trends and patterns to clients.

That means training workers to move past bad imitations of foreign accents and easy references to Thanksgiving or Halloween.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_3979482