Nearly a Third of Consumers Prefer Voice Biometrics for Mobile Transactions

A recent Twitter poll conducted by Nuance Communications on consumer preferences for mobile customer service, transactions, and security finds nearly a third of consumers believe voice biometrics is the best method for verifying their identities on their mobile devices.
 
According to the poll, 84 percent of consumers contact customer service via their mobile phones and 16 use an existing app on their mobile phones to do so. More than half (53 percent) of consumers polled said security risks are a main concern when they complete transactions on their mobile devices, signaling the need for enhanced mobile security and identity verification, especially given the range of transactions consumers want to complete on their mobile devices.
 
The survey found a variety of tasks consumers would like to complete on their mobile phones but currently can’t. For instance, 41 percent said they would like to pay bills—phone, utility, credit cards, and more—on their mobile phones, while another 47 percent said  they would like to check their account balances for companies they do business with. Nearly 70 percent would like the ability to automatically run a diagnostic program and fix their phones when there are issues with them, while 51 percent said they would like to be able to self-activate their phones upon purchase.
 
Given the wide range of transactions consumers would like to complete on their mobile devices, nearly a third of consumers said  their preferred method of verifying their identities on their mobile devices would be through their voices.

According to Hetal Pandya, director of product management at Nuance, “With the majority of consumers contacting customer service via their mobile devices, now more than ever, the need for enhanced security is critical. Consumers are using their mobile devices as their passports to managing their lives—from paying bills to managing and setting up their accounts. Voice biometrics gives them the added level of security needed to ensure that their information is protected every step of the way."