Lloyds Banking Group is introducing voice verification technology from Nuance to identify customers dialling into its call centres.
Customers registering for Voice ID will be asked to say 'my voice is my password' to create a unique voiceprint. Next time they call to access their account, their voice will be analysed by over 100 unique characteristics, including their accent, how fast they talk and the unique size and shape of their vocal chords to determine if the caller matches the stored voiceprint
Martin Dodd, managing director of telephone banking at Lloyds Banking Group, says: “Today we use hundreds of passwords across our connected lives, and remembering each one can be difficult. Voice ID makes telephone banking with us safer, quicker and easier than having to remember often cumbersome passwords, and we’re proud to have made this technology available to our customers.”
The banking group is rolling out the service across all of its franchises, Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, following pilot testing with over 50,000 customers.
HSBC first introduced the Nuance system for customers ringing into its direct bank First Direct in 2015. This was followed by an implementation at Barclays Bank in 2016.
The introduction of the technology has not been without its hiccups. After widening access across to encompass all 15 million UK customers, HSBC was forced to dial up the sensitivity of the feature after it was bypassed by a BBC reporter and his non-identical twin brother.