One of Canada’s largest insurers has jumped on the biometrics bandwagon in an attempt to boost security.
 
Manulife announced that customers can now use their own voices to authenticate their identities when calling into Manulife call centres. By following a one-time prompt to say the phrase “At Manulife my voice is my password” into the phone three times, customers can provide a voiceprint that will be used to verify their identity in subsequent phone interactions with the company.
 
“It’s more secure because this technology can recognize more than 100 unique characteristics (in each person’s voice). So it’s almost like a fingerprint,” Manulife’s president and CEO Marianne Harris told a Toronto news conference.
 
Voice biometrics can now also be used by Manulife’s retail advisors, who call the company to obtain product information, place new business or check on existing business on customers’ behalf. Authenticating identity this way saves time for Manulife’s customers, retail advisors and call centre staff.
 
The new system will replace passwords, PINs and personal verification questions, all of which are susceptible to hackers. However, a person’s voice is extremely difficult to replicate, said Robert Weideman, executive vice-president and general manager at Nuance Communications, the U.S.-based maker of Manulife’s voice biometrics technology.
 
Customer authentication without voice biometrics can typically take up to four minutes over the phone, added Weideman.