As the threat and occurrence of theft and fraud continues to escalate, especially with financial transactions, the need for security against these fraudulent attempts has increased.

 

Answering to the need for contact centers to secure their self-service telephone applications, Nuance Communications has developed a speaker verification solution for telephone voice self-service applications that uses biometric security to authenticate callers by recognizing each unique caller based on their voice.

 

According to a recent news release, The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) has requested multi-factor authentication technologies for internet-based services before the end of the year. With telephone-based authentication next in line, many banks have stepped up to the plate to incorporate Nuance's (News - Alert) biometric speaker verification solutions into their voice self-service applications.

 

"With 16 speaker verification patents and a market leadership position for delivering custom solutions, we are well-positioned to meet the growing need for this vertical market,” commented Peter Mahoney, vice president, worldwide marketing, Nuance in a statement to the press.

 

Speaker authentication requires only a voice and a telephone to authenticate a person's identity, unlike other biometric solutions such as fingerprints, iris scans and facial recognition technologies that are far more expensive and intricate.

 

Nuance's speaker verification  solutions capture a callers voice based on the way they say speak their name and ID number, then analyze the voice to create a voiceprint that is stored in the systems database for verification each time the caller calls.

 

Voiceprints use a pattern of numbers that measure the behavioral and physical characteristics of the caller's voice. The system is also able to identify voices with changes due to colds, noisy backgrounds or other changes, as well as safeguard against impersonations and pre-recorded voices played back over the telephone.

 

"Speaker verification is a natural fit for phone-based applications because the system can be seamlessly integrated into the existing self-service experience of the caller," commented Mahoney.

 

"Because of its convenience and ease of use, it may be perceived that voice is less accurate than other biometrics, but third-party research has proven that voice biometrics meet or exceed fingerprint, iris and facial scanning systems." 

 

For more information, please visit: www.nuance.com