AI’s Language Switch, Mid-Conversation

Call centres can now adapt mid-conversation to flip between isiZulu, Sesotho, Setswana, Afrikaans and English – previously unrecognised by generic, English-only AI systems.

Stellenbosch, South Africa, In a dynamic shift that places South Africa at the forefront of global call centre AI innovation, two homegrown technology pioneers, Saigen and Callbi, are to enable a seamless switch between languages mid-conversation across South Africa’s most commonly spoken languages, including isiZulu, Sesotho, Setswana, Afrikaans and English.

For South African businesses operating in a uniquely multilingual society, there is a real need to serve customers across a wide range of languages, dialects, and cultural nuances. Traditional speech analytics tools – often built in and for monolingual English markets – simply fall short.

“Calls may begin in English, but they don’t always stay there,” says Dr Etienne Barnard, co-founder of Saigen and one of the country’s foremost authorities on speech technology. “We’ve designed our models to adapt in real time to the natural flow of multilingual dialogue. And now, with the addition of Generative AI, we’re able to go far beyond transcription; we’re turning speech into strategy.”

AI Labs

This advancement has been made possible through the launch of Callbi AI Labs within the last year, a collaborative innovation initiative formed by Saigen, Callbi, and strategic investor Alphawave. By combining state-of-the-art large language models with real call centre data, Callbi AI Labs is enabling the development of solutions that were previously out of reach, from instant post-call summaries and automated compliance verification to real-time agent guidance and emotion detection.

With over 100 clients already using the platform, actionable intelligence is helping local businesses move beyond gut feel and anecdotes to truly understand what drives performance in customer-facing teams by accessing what is being said in a customer’s preferred language.

Standardising quality

The impact on service and operational efficiency is profound. Companies now have the ability to evaluate agent performance objectively, identify coaching opportunities, and standardise service quality across teams. Traditionally, call centre managers have relied on intuition and limited call sampling to assess their agents. Now, with an AI-powered voice analytics platform, they can analyse every call at scale, with insight into what makes top performers succeed.

“A good call centre manager has an intuitive understanding of their team,” explains Dr Charl van Heerden, CEO of Saigen. “But intuition alone isn’t enough. With our subsidiary, Callbi, we provide clear, data-driven evidence of where agents are excelling or struggling. And when you combine that with multilingual capability, you start to see a deeper, more human layer of insight emerge.”

Language matters

One of those insights, uncovered through AI-led analysis, revealed that agents who switched to a customer’s first language during a call were consistently more successful in building trust, resolving issues, and creating a sense of comfort. This multilingual agility – until now unmeasured – proved to be a powerful differentiator in service outcomes, demonstrating the vital role of language in effective customer engagement.

The addition of Callbi ‘Agent Assist’, a new feature enabled by Generative AI, marks a further leap forward in call centre AI. Rather than replacing human agents, the tool enhances their capabilities, generating accurate call summaries, drafting follow-up emails, and suggesting next-best actions in real time. By reducing cognitive load, the feature allows agents to stay focused on the customer, rather than multitasking with notetaking and admin during the call.

“We’re beyond automating workflows, we’re amplifying people,” says Dr Barnard. “Agent Assist is about supporting humans with AI, not replacing them. This is the future of customer service: smarter, faster, and more emotionally aware.”

Local and global

The commercial potential of this AI-powered approach to customer experience has not gone unnoticed. Alphawave, the venture builder behind Saigen and Callbi’s growth, has committed significant investment and strategic support to scale this technology both locally and globally. For Alphawave CEO Frans Meyer, the opportunity extends beyond individual product success; it’s about creating a thriving ecosystem of deep-tech innovation in Africa.

“Saigen and Callbi are delivering exactly the kind of breakthrough Alphawave looks for: real AI, solving real problems, with clear market demand,” says Meyer.

“We fund ideas and experts, but are most interested in building companies. With 16 portfolio businesses and over 200 engineers at our disposal in Stellenbosch, we’re able to connect the dots across sectors, deepen the opportunity, and help bring these technologies to maturity. Multilingual voice AI is not just a competitive advantage, it’s going to be one of Africa’s most valuable exports.”

As companies worldwide search for ways to modernise their customer engagement strategies, improve compliance, and drive operational excellence, local expertise is proving that the answer lies not just in smarter technology, but in technology that truly understands people, in every language spoken in South Africa.