Is Voice Biometrics Right for You?
device, and location together, you've got something really interesting."
According to Alexey Khitrov, president of SpeechPro USA, a division of Russia's Speech Technology Center, improvement in customer experience is a key driver of voice biometric adoption.
"Increased security and significant reduction of average handle time are great, but it's the idea of simplifying [the] verification process that drives a growing demand for voice authentication," Khitrov wrote in an email. "Currently, customers have to go through an interrogation. Voice biometrics is an easy and secure alternative to traditional authentication/log-in methodology in the contact center, online, and mobile environments."
Voice Biometrics Goes Mobile
Voice biometrics is also beginning to gain traction in the ever-changing mobile world. Toward that end, SpeechPro recently released VoiceKey OnePass, a touchless biometrics solution that uses voice and facial recognition for smartphones. "An important trend is a growing demand for multibiometric solutions. If your smartphone can take a picture and record a voice sample, why not use it to log users into their mobile accounts?" Khitrov asked.
Julia Webb, executive vice president of sales and marketing at VoiceVault, also sees growth of voice biometrics around smart devices and mobile applications. "You look at the surveys out there, and mobile users are dissatisfied with their authentication methods," she says. "Depending on which report you read, the numbers are [that] eighty to ninety percent of people...don't like the options that are currently available."
Webb says that there are "all sorts" of mobile applications that can be used with voice biometrics. And by using voice, it becomes a multimodal application. Google Glass is one such application.
"There are scenarios where you have physicians using Google Glass to send streaming audio and video for people to consult on cases," she says. "Because of HIPAA requirements, there needs to be authentication to have access to video and audio."
Yay or Nay?
While there are certainly many positives to employing voice biometrics, there can be drawbacks as well, with cost being the main barrier for adoption. Implementing such situations is not cheap, according to Khitrov, and requires a thorough evaluation of available options before rolling it out to a full customer base.
NICE's Storm says that while businesses can achieve significant ROI as well as improve security and the customer experience with voice biometrics, the downside is that implementation can require an upfront investment, although in some
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