Active authentication in IVR

Voice biometrics is used in a wide range of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems: from self-service banking where it secures multi-million dollar wire transfers, to self-service telecommunications where customers access account settings and information.

The most common application is to authenticate customers who dial into the IVR system. A typical active authentication flow is as follows:

  1. The application asks customers to speak a common passphrase such as “At ABC, my voice is my password.”
  2. Once authenticated, customers can perform transactions or retrieve information on their accounts.
  3. If customers transfer to an agent, they are already authenticated through voice biometrics and agents can serve them immediately with no additional interrogation.

Voice biometrics is superior to other authentication methods (such as PINs) from both security and convenience perspectives. (Many people select PINs that are easily compromised, and many people forget their PINs.). Advantages include:

  • The return on investment is often tremendous.
  • The customer experience improves significantly.
  • Self-service rates increase while contact center costs decrease.
  • Fraud losses decrease when fraudsters cannot compromise accounts.