How code-switching shows up on Indian calls
Callers rarely announce a change of language. They switch whenever it's easier:
- Inside a sentence: "Mujhe ek personal loan chahiye, around five lakh."
- Between sentences: a caller answers the greeting in Hindi, then explains a billing problem in English.
- For money, dates and products: words like "EMI", "due date", "refund" and "5th" often stay in English inside a Hindi sentence.
An agent built for one language at a time either misreads the mixed sentence or answers in stiff, formal Hindi that sounds nothing like the caller.
What a voice agent needs to do
Three things, on every turn. Catch the meaning of a mixed sentence the first time, without asking the caller to rephrase. Answer in the same easy mix rather than textbook Hindi. And move fully into English, or back, when the caller does. Figures should land the same either way: "paanch lakh" and "five lakh" are one amount.
Why it matters
Code-switching isn't an error to correct. It's how many Indian customers talk, especially about money, orders and appointments. An agent that keeps up sounds like part of your team. One that doesn't makes callers slow down, repeat themselves or give up.
How Kallix handles it
Each Kallix agent has a primary and a secondary language, and switches when the caller switches. Agents speak Hindi, English, Hinglish and more. Before launch, add test scenarios with the mixed phrases your customers really use, such as a caller who starts in Hindi and moves to English halfway through.