NAB targets 250,000 sign-ups to VoiceID

NAB is aiming to more than double the number of enrolments in its VoiceID biometric authentication system over the remainder of 2020.

The bank flagged an expansion of Voice ID earlier this month when it said the service would “soon be available for business customers”, in addition to “personal customers calling [its] consumer contact centre”.

But it has now put a number on what that expansion will look like.

“We now have around 120,000 customers enrolled since VoiceID went live in November 2019 and we are targeting 250,000 customer enrollments by the end of 2020,” executive general manager for consumer direct Paula Constant said overnight.

“This technology is helping us improve the experience our customers have when they call by spending less time on the authentication process and more time helping them with their needs.”

The bank also said today that it is using Nuance Gatekeeper technology to power VoiceID.

Gatekeeper “analyses more than 1000 characteristics of a voice and uses intelligent detectors to cross check an individual's device, geolocation and pattern of speech, while certifying it is a real person and not a recording or synthetic creation,” Nuance said in a statement.

“Biometrics removes the need for knowledge-based passwords and security questions that hackers can easily steal or guess, bringing NAB customers higher security standards and convenience by focusing on who they are versus what they know.”

Constant said earlier this month that VoiceID had “been crucial in the last few weeks (during the COVID pandemic) to be able to speed up the authentication process for the thousands of customers that have called for assistance.”

“Each year, we have more than 5 million interactions with our customers over the phone,” she said.

“VoiceID enables us to save our customers’ time - reducing the time it takes to authenticate a customer from a few minutes to seconds. 

“We’ll also be able to provide customers with a more personalised experience and offer security that’s as unique as them.”

NAB has had voice recognition for phone banking since at least mid-2009, though it previously ran on a different technology stack.