Recently, we have learned that Amazon has launched a series of updates to its voice biometrics engine but, are they really an improvement over what other competitors already offer? Does the American giant also lead this industry, as it usually does in every field it operates?
The answer is simple: no. At least if we are referring to one of the best players in the digital identity verification industry, Veridas. Its 100% proprietary voice biometrics solution is opening a gap over its closest competitors. In fact, big tech companies seem to be reacting to a global trend in which companies like ours have been at the forefront for more than 10 years, helping industry leaders such as Deutsche Telekom, BBVA, Prosegur or Twilio, among others, to improve UX, Costs, and Security. All at the same time.
And this is not the first time it has happened. It was not so long ago that Amazon or Google entered the facial biometrics market. A market they have now completely abandoned. Are they here to stay this time?
In this article, we will explain the main differences between Veridas Voice Biometric Authentication solution and Amazon Connect Voice ID and why, for our customers, it is not the same to do it one way or the other.
They require 30 seconds for enrollment, Veridas just 3
Voice biometrics solutions require the end-user to complete two fundamental steps for their use. First, the user must register their voice and then be authenticated against that registration. During enrollment, the biometric engines transform the voice into a voice vector, which is irreversible in the case of Veridas.
For this vector to be generated, the different technology providers demand a series of audio duration requirements, and this is where Veridas begins to make a difference with all its direct competitors.
Veridas’ cutting-edge solution, which works based on artificial intelligence and neural networks, requires only 3 seconds of net voice to create a voiceprint. This is 10 times less than Amazon, which in this case takes 30 seconds.
And it is not only a question of speed for speed’s sake. Making registrations with 30 seconds implies needing around 100 words from the end-user, something unthinkable if you want to implement it in an actual use case. Only solutions like Veridas, which can generate a voiceprint through audio in any language and text, and with only 3 seconds of voice, generate tangible benefits for companies.
They require 10 seconds for authentication, Veridas only 3
Here we are faced with the same dilemma described in the previous section. Veridas goes further when it comes to the authentication step, reaching accuracy values of over 99.9% with only 3 seconds of voice.
“I am calling because I have lost my credit card and would like to cancel it” would be enough for Veridas to corroborate the speaker’s identity and thereby complete the transaction without the need to ask numerous questions or send OTP codes. Transparent authentication, in 3 seconds and again, in any language and without the need to repeat a specific phrase. This allows companies to reduce their Average Handling Time (AHT) by an average of 30 seconds, saving approximately 50 cents per call. The ROI is, of course, immediate.
And what does Amazon offer in return? A solution that takes 10 seconds of voice to verify an identity, 3.3x more than Veridas’. Which one do you choose?
They are not evaluated by the NIST; we’re on track 😉
When it comes to presenting technological solutions, all companies claim to be the best. And if we were to go by their “self-assessment”, end-customers would have a hard time choosing between one solution or the other. Out-of-context accuracy data, ambiguous concepts, inaccurate competitor comparisons… How can companies determine the best solution?
Given the above, there is a need for independent and reputable benchmark evaluators to guide consumers and attest to the accuracy of each solution. And in the field of biometrics, there is one above all others: the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which has been leading the world in evaluating biometric solutions, both facial and voice, for decades.
In this regard, Veridas is the only company in the world present in NIST’s Face Verification (1:1), Identification (1:N), and Speaker Recognition Evaluations. This is a milestone for this European company, committed from the outset to independent quality assessment to certify its performance.
Veridas is participating in the NIST CTS Speaker Recognition Challenge on the voice side, where it is currently achieving promising results. But the question here is obvious, and the answer is less so: why do not all players submit to the NIST evaluation?
They are on Amazon Connect, so are we!... and in Twilio, Avaya, Genesys, you name it!
Multiplatform by design. That was the Veridas team’s bet when they decided to develop a solution for their voice biometrics technology for contact centers. And the choice has turned out to be a complete success.
“When we at Veridas decided to develop a product specifically for Call Centers, in which the end-user could be authenticated in real-time while conversing with an agent, we made the firm decision to design it so that it could be easily and integrated into any existing platform. And it is now that this long-term vision is bearing numerous fruits, after months invested in the development and configuration of a solution based on 100% proprietary technology, based on artificial intelligence algorithms and neural networks” explains Miguel Zarraluqui, Product Manager of Voice Biometrics at Veridas.
Avaya, Genesys, Twilio, Amazon Connect, and Enghouse are not the only solutions Veridas is working on. The Spanish company continues to consolidate its partner network to reach more customers worldwide, seeking to offer the best possible services at all stages of the customer’s life, from sales to implementation, including integration support and technical support. Veridas is charting new avenues of collaboration among the leading platforms of such significant companies as Talkdesk, Odigo, IBM, and Link Mobility.
“There was no point in doing it quickly and exclusively for one platform. At Veridas, it was clear to us that we had to go for a multiplatform solution that could be integrated into a matter of days in any client, regardless of the contact center solution they had” concluded Zarraluqui.
They serve worldwide, so do we!
Our solution is language and text-independent, something that not everyone can say. Therefore, there are no physical barriers to Veridas. And on top of that, our solution is 100% cloud-based, allowing our customers to access our solution from anywhere and at any time.
Veridas currently has customers and partners in Japan, speaking Japanese, in Germany, such as Deutsche Telekom, speaking German, in Spain and Latam, such as BBVA or Prosegur, speaking Spanish, in England and the United States, speaking English, or even in Ukraine, speaking Ukrainian. And this is just a tiny sample of all the customers served by the company based in Spain, but which already has open offices in the United States, Mexico, and Colombia.
In addition, our highly qualified professional team of more than 150 people develops all the software, supports all customers, helps improve the conversion funnel and business analytics, attends to calls and emails.
Veridas is truly able to go where others cannot.
They are cheap, so are we!
Experience tells us that price is not a barrier to the implementation of our voice biometrics solution. As I mentioned before, if we talk about an average savings of 50 cents per call, our customers certify the return on investment in a matter of days or weeks at most.
And suppose we also add that Veridas has proven to be “the best technology at the best price”. In that case, there is no reason not to bet on an authentication solution that is revolutionizing the market. You choose the pricing model that suits you best: Veridas adapts to your needs to facilitate the implementation and create value from day one. You will quickly run out of excuses.
If you want to improve, at the same time, customer experience, enhance security and considerably reduce your costs, go for voice biometrics.
They operate from AWS, we do so too… but also in Azure and other IaaS providers (sorry again Jeff)
Yes, Veridas operates on Amazon Web Services (AWS), being its primary cloud infrastructure provider. This allows us to provide service from anywhere globally, currently having cloud services in the United States and Europe through Amazon.
But this close and very productive relationship with Amazon does not limit us. Currently, we also offer the voice solution in Azure for those customers who prefer it. And this positioning is in line with the company strategy of being a partner and supplier agnostic company, intending to serve our customers in an individualized way, responding in the best way to their needs in each case.
Just tell us your use case and requirements, and Veridas will find a way to help you.
We don’t store any personal data… Amazon?
Veridas does not need to store any user data. Veridas never has and never will use customer data to train our engines. And believe us when we say that this distinguishes us from many of our competitors.
If there was one key reason Deutsche Telekom selected Veridas as its single-source provider for voice biometrics, aside from its clear technology leadership, it was this very reason. As they clearly stated themselves in a recent webinar between the two entities:
The data will always belong to the end-user and will be stored by our customers. Once a voiceprint record has been generated, or authentication has been performed, all evidence is automatically deleted from our cloud, leaving no trace of it on Veridas servers. That allows us to comply with the most strict privacy regulations, such as GDPR in Europe or CCPA in California.
Remember, JUST BE YOU!
