Yes, it is possible to use voice biometrics to improve customer service “and close more business,” according to a recent white paper from Angel, which sells Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and related call center products.
The paper lists some of the advantages of voice biometrics. Since there are over 120 touchpoints to anybody’s voice, biometric technology can essentially make a fingerprint of your voice, which can replace paper-based signatures, according to the paper. This can speed up the flow of business considerably, especially since the paper points out that this “satisfies FFIEC and FCC (News - Alert) CPNI compliance and HIPPA/CMS guidelines; and is recognized by the FDA as a legally binding, E-Sign Act compliant, e-signature.”
And since you don’t need any special phone systems or hardware or software, there isn’t a great capital investment to start using it. Since it works with any phone, mobility is increased. In addition, the nice thing about a voice is you don’t need to memorize it like you do a PIN or password, and it can’t be stolen.
Voice biometrics can be used for self-service password resetting, secure access to remote systems requiring authorization and tracking employees. And the paper assures us that it’s really pretty difficult to commit fraud by impersonating someone’s voice, as the technology can almost always detect a fake one.
The paper notes that sampling for the pharmaceutical industry is now one of the most interested fields for voice biometrics. Doctors need to authenticate themselves when ordering samples, and it’s hard to know for sure who signed the authorization form to get drug samples, Voice biometrics make turnaround time much faster, and cut down on fraud and abuse. It’s also more convenient, since doctors can order from any phone anywhere, at any time, and comply with regulations.
Putting your voice signature on file is a quick process, and the Angel white paper notes that using voice instead of paper authorizations has helped cut administrative costs by up to 80 percent in some places.
Good voice authorization systems such as Angel’s deploy quickly and easily, and can generate generating ROI immediately. Again, the main ROI comes from greatly reduced paperwork, shorter call times and a lower abandon rate, with increased customer satisfaction with the efficiency and ease of the transaction – so, no more sitting around waiting for a fax to come through to sign and return, or, even worse, a paper form.
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 Tammy Wolf