IVR Systems and Voice Recognition Technology Enhance Online, Phone Security
June 03, 2011
By David Sims, TMCnet Contributing Editor
A recent blog post at EliteTele.com notes that with the advancement of Interactive Voice Response “at such a rate that small companies have grown into huge organizations,” the technology can be used worldwide.
One reason is because it does a good job spotting fraud. Police use it. The military uses it. As the blog post observes, “the successful elements behind IVR have become such an essential part of everyday activity that it has gone from being a mere application to boost productivity but a key factor in identifying fraudulent activity.”
Many businesses use biometrics such as fingerprinting and eye scans for identity checks, but at least as effective as these, and maybe more so when considering cost and time effectiveness, is voice recognition of the type that works well with IVR.
Look, when you buy something nowadays it’s more likely you’re buying over the phone or online, and eye scans or fingerprints aren’t exactly the most effective way of establishing identity in that situation, are they? But with an IVR system using voice recognition, as the blog post says, “not only does your business gain enhanced security but also cuts costs in workforce – saving time and money for both parties.”
The idea behind IVR voice recognition is that it’s possible to identify a voice as uniquely as a fingerprint or retina. The technology’s there, we’ll take their word for that. So if you’re really interesting in cutting down on fraud during online and phone transactions, it seems like you’ll give IVR voice recognition a look.
Because as TMC’s (News - Alert) Susan J. Campbell wrote recently, an IT Web report found that biometrics has become an integral part of self-service portals for commercial and non-profit organizations, military and police intelligence agencies.
In addition to Interactive Voice Response, Campbell said, this technology has evolved to the point where innovators are no longer focused on idea generation, but technology execution:
“When used as an identification tool, IVR can become an important part of innovation applications, providing access control tools for specific industries, and monitoring tools in others. Voice biometrics is increasingly emerging as a potential means of reducing the fraudulent use of credit cards when making purchases online.”
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David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David’s articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.Edited by Jennifer Russell