How do AI voice agents address callers respectfully in Indian languages?
Respect is set in the script. Indian languages have formal and informal 'you' forms (aap, meeru, neenga, neevu, ningal, tumhi), and Outpero's agents follow the form written into the brief. For business calls, brief the agent to use the respectful form and a polite greeting, and add sir or madam in English where your callers expect it.
Why honorifics matter on a phone call
A cold call that uses the wrong 'you' sounds rude within seconds. Addressing an older person as 'tu' in Hindi, or 'nuvvu' in Telugu, ends the call quicker than a slow answer would. In Indian languages the choice of pronoun, verb ending and greeting carries as much meaning as the words themselves.
The respectful forms by language
| Language | Respectful 'you' | Informal 'you' |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | आप | तुम, तू |
| Telugu | మీరు | నువ్వు |
| Tamil | நீங்கள் | நீ |
| Kannada | ನೀವು | ನೀನು |
| Malayalam | നിങ്ങൾ | നീ |
| Marathi | तुम्ही | तू |
How Outpero's agents are set up
The agent speaks according to the brief and the script you give it. Write the opening and the sample lines in the respectful form, add any title you want, such as sir, madam or ji, and the agent keeps that register through the call. Where a caller moves to English, the agent follows the same level of politeness.
Practical rules for scripts
- —Use the respectful form for every first contact. Switch to informal only if the caller does so first and the business is one where that is normal.
- —Use the caller's name only if it is in your data and spelled consistently. A wrong name is worse than none.
- —Greet with the local greeting: namaste, namaskaram, vanakkam, namaskara, namaskaram or namaskar.
- —Avoid translating English politeness literally. A natural Telugu or Tamil sentence is shorter than a word-for-word 'Would you kindly'.
Opening line example in Hindi
नमस्ते सर, मैं Outpero से बोल रही हूँ। आपने कल हमारी website पर enquiry की थी, क्या अभी दो मिनट बात कर सकते हैं? (Hello sir, this is Outpero calling. You enquired on our website yesterday. Can we talk for two minutes?)
Check recordings, not just the script
Listen to the first calls. Callers who say 'please speak properly' or hang up in the first ten seconds are often reacting to tone. Adjust the greeting and re-run on a small list before scaling.
Want to hear an AI voice agent handle this on a real call?
Follow-up questions
Can the agent call callers by name with sir or madam?
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Yes, if the name is in your list or lead data. Put the title and name field in the script, and the agent uses them in the opening. If the name is missing or unreliable, a plain polite greeting is safer than a wrong name.