Transamerica adds voice recognition to customer service

Instead of dealing with a PIN number or password, Transamerica customers will be able to prove they own their account by speaking into the phone when they call in.
The Baltimore-based life insurance and retirement company is adding voice recognition to its customer service calls. The technology was developed by Boston-based Nuance Communications, and Transamerica is integrating it with customers of its retirement solutions.
Called Voice Pass, the technology uses voice biometrics to analyze more than 100 voice characteristics and natural language processing.
When calling in, customers speak the phrase, “My voice is my password.” It can then be matched against a “voiceprint” on file to authenticate an account. Customers are initially recorded saying the phrase once or twice, then they are in the database, Transamerica Chief Technology Officer Gerard Rescigno said.
Along with removing the need to remember a password, the feature also offers a higher level of security, Rescigno said. It’s also expected to help with efficiency at service centers that receive 10 million calls a year. Transamerica believes it will be 80 percent faster than using PIN numbers.