You want to get your callers through fast, right?
After all, a slick and frictionless voice interaction is what all customers crave.
However, there’s a kicker: security is rightly paramount, and caller authentication is vital in order to not only pull up customer data fast, but also to safeguard data protection.
Asking callers to provide unique information – either via voice or Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) technology – has always been an effective, if clunky, approach. However, there’s a smoother, more modern alternative: voice authentication – recognizing who a caller is based upon their biometrically unique pattern of speech.
For businesses and their contact center, the resulting enhancement in the customer experience means return on investment is assured.
“What’s your account number? What’s your address? What’s your date of birth? They are all unique identifiers, but automating the caller verification process can make authentication so much easier for the customer and the agent,” says Dennis Menard, Application Design Specialist at global enterprise-class provider ComputerTalk, whose ice Contact Center platform has voice recognition capability baked-in.
“If a customer calls back and has to provide the exact same information all over again, it can be frustrating and wastes time. Using their voice as an identifier means the amount of extra identification steps can be reduced significantly.
Simplifying things like that whilst simultaneously improving data security is definitely the way to go.”
Smart AI technology captures the customer’s voice, extracts data points such as pitch, tone, cadence , and other biometric features, and produces a so-called ‘voice print’ which, similar to a fingerprint, is unique to that individual.
“Callers no longer have to answer multiple different questions before they even get started with their request,” says Menard.
“Now they can be asked just one. Once the system verifies the customer’s voice, it automatically retrieves their account, profile, and all their previous communication history. It also removes the frustration many people feel when they are asked to use their telephone keypad to enter verification numbers such as their account number or date of birth. We’re removing some of the routine stuff that agents do; like asking callers the same five questions everytime.
“Automating authentication in this way means agents can spend more quality time with the customer; resulting in all-round richer interaction, while shortening the average handle time.”
Of course, once authenticated via their voice, customers can then be exposed to all kinds of other time-saving and smart self-service automation via Interactive Voice Response (IVR) capability. Also, voice-authenticated communication can be used to trigger customized direct marketing initiatives with the potential to drive increased sales.
“It’s all about enabling businesses to get closer to their customers in ways which leverage the most innovative and impactful technologies possible,” says Menard.
“And it’s also about customers feeling connected to the businesses with which they interact. Being recognized by their voice whenever they call enhances the personal nature of the relationship whilst simultaneously saving them time. Those are benefits which can positively impact the CX score.”
- To learn more about how ComputerTalk can help your business leverage voice authentication, visit the website.
