Voice biometrics in the call centre

biometrics With 62,000 people in Britain falling victim to ID fraud in the last year[1], both consumers and businesses need to be more vigilant than ever when dealing with personal details.

Voice biometrics could provide the answer. Frank Sherlock explains.

The problems with passwords

Passwords, account numbers and mother’s maiden name are all increasingly flawed methods of security when one considers how easy it can be to gather this information. Businesses that rely on these measures for phone-based security need a new approach.

The lack of physical ID as a security procedure over the phone means that criminals can gain access to information, such as financial accounts and health reports, through hitherto legitimate means, simply by having a few personal details on their target.

So PINs, back-up questions and security passwords no longer offer the safety consumers require or expect. As technology develops, it will become easier for criminals to assume the identity of customers over the phone and there is very little a company can do if the person on the end of the phone answers security questions correctly.

As ID fraud becomes increasingly rife and worrying for consumers, the security required needs to be brought up to date. At present we have security procedures that date back to the first days of telephone banking.

Voice Biometrics and Voice Authentication

However, biometrics, and in particular voice biometrics or voice authentication (VA), offer the opportunity to move phone security into the 21st century in a way that customers feel comfortable with.

The use of voice technology in the contact centre environment has been part of the make up of customer service for a number of years now. Voice is a part of any customer service strategy, providing fast, efficient access to the right information for the customer. The next evolution is clear: voice authentication.

This technology goes beyond computer-generated commands and recognition of spoken passwords. VA is the recognising of an individual’s voice: the tone and speech pattern that’s unique to each individual.

The most widespread solution for most organisations is the Nuance toolset.

For the customer it works on two levels: security and user experience. For security it counters identity theft maintaining the equivalence in accuracy of eye scans and fingerprints. Secondly, regarding the user experience, it reduces the need to remember a PIN or password, and saves time compared to answering account-related questions. It also allows greater mobility: customers wary of spelling out their PIN or password in public would be far more at ease when accessing accounts via their voice print.

Sign-up procedure

There is a straightforward sign-up procedure. The customer is transferred to the VA enrolment, where they say a couple of different phrases. The whole process takes minutes.

Initial pilots being rolled out

We are just starting to see some of the first pilots being deployed in the USA.

At Convergys we have a Top 10 financial service provider that has been trialling our VA solution for the past few months. Using an employee-based pilot, the feedback to date has been positive, with the calls going very smoothly. We hope to deploy solutions in Europe in the future.

Accuracy rates are uncertain

Whilst it is a relatively new technology, voice authentication rivals iris scanning and fingerprints in terms of accuracy for correctly identifying individuals.

There are a number of areas, however, that organisations should be aware of. VA systems need to allow for channels and devices that can alter the pattern of a customer’s speech.

Background noise

Dealing with background noise, such as in a noisy office or with mobile phones, is a technology issue, and its effects should improve as the technology develops. It is hoped that the small number of transactions affected by background distortion will be outweighed by the benefits the company and individual will experience.

Service design

Another issue to be aware of is service design. Organisations deploying VA must get the service design correct, and they should take care during implementation to maintain a positive user experience across all channels and devices. A nascent system is liable to be shut down very quickly if it doesn’t pull its weight in aiding a positive customer experience, damaging not only the business’s relationship with the customer, but also the customer service department’s ties with the rest of the organisation.

A line of defence against fraudsters

As fraudsters become more sophisticated, so organisations continually need to innovate and develop. Voice authentication is an important step in that direction, fusing biometrics with security to provide a formidable defence against even the most determined of criminals.

[1] http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/19/fraud-experts-say-trendy-bags-make-fashion-fans-a-target-for-id-theft-115875-21370875/