Study: U.S. consumers would welcome voice verification

Consumers in the U.S. are open to using voice verification security systems as a way of protecting important personal information, according to a new study commissioned by Nuance Communications.

The study found that nearly two-fifths of those surveyed would prefer to conduct business with a company that used voice verification solutions and 61 percent of those surveyed said they felt that voice verification was an effective identity verification tool for gaining access to secure data over the phone.

Among the survey's other findings regarding voice verification solutions include:

• 23 percent of respondents felt it would combat identity theft

• 19 percent said they would use it because they would no longer have to remember a PIN number or password

• Most respondents felt it was more secure than using traditional means of identity verification, such as PIN numbers, passwords and account information

• And, after listening to an example of voice verification in practice, 60 percent of respondents said they would be willing to use a similar system, while 35 percent said they would be "very" or "extremely" likely to use it.

"The biometrics survey shows that consumers want stronger security on their customer service calls, but not at the expense of convenience," said Chuck Buffum, vice president of authentication solutions for Nuance. "Voice verification, effectively deployed, can deliver not only stronger, biometric security, but can do so without compromising user convenience. No other technology or authentication process can make that claim."