Research Results Available

For preliminary results – download this PDF.

For a copy of final results - due out in July, please email servingconsumers@nuance.com.

Research Overview

According to a study conducted by Harris Interactive for Nuance Communications, consumers are embracing the use of voice verification in protecting important personal information. Harris Interactive, a global leader in custom market research, designed the study to uncover attitudes toward voice verification by the general population of the United States and to obtain perspective on the levels of interest or concern consumers have over the security of their personal data.

Findings from this study suggest that voice verification is viewed as a business differentiator with nearly two-fifths of those surveyed agreeing they prefer to do business with a company that provides voice verification solutions. After hearing an audio clip of a voice verification process, three-fifths of the respondents were likely to use voice verification as a form of security. Sixty-one percent of respondents feel that voice verification is a secure form of identity verification for phone access to customer service data. And eighty-three percent of respondents agreed that institutions should require different forms of identity verification based on the types of transactions.

Additional findings include:

While consumers want improved data protection, they want it to be convenient. When asked “why would you use voice verification,” the top two responses were:

1. combats identity theft (23%)
2. do not have to remember password/PIN respectively (19%)

Six in ten (60%) respondents feel that voice verification is a secure, very secure or an extremely secure form of identity verification

Voice verification was viewed more secure than other methods that can be used over the phone, including home phone number, memorable information, password, PIN number and account information.

After listening to an audio of how the voice verification process would work during a customer service call – 60% of respondents said they would be likely to use voice verification; 35% are “very” or “extremely” likely.

This biometrics survey was conducted online and via phone within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Nuance between April 15 and April 28, 2008. There were 576 respondents, all U.S. residents, age 18 or above, who had contacted customer service in the past 12 months. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.

This study was also conducted in Australia, the U.K. and Germany. For information related to results for these countries, please email servingconsumers@nuance.com