Voice Biometrics Case Study: Australian Health Management

In 2007, Australian Health Management (AHM), one of Australia’s top 10 health services providers with 250,000 members, introduced a voice biometrics system to validate member’s identities. Salmat (formerly VeCommerce) implemented the voice verification system, which is powered by Nuance Verifier™. According to AHM’s Website, the voice verification system was deployed to enhance member service. For example:

• Members would no longer need to go through the manual verification process every time they call
• Membership details would be accessed quicker to reduce waiting time
• Member’s health insurance information would be more secure

Enrollment Process:
• The enrollment process is voluntary and guided by a live agent
• Member is prompted to say their membership ID number
• This process creates the client’s “base” voiceprint and stores it in the database for future use

Verification Process:
• Member calls AHM and is prompted to say their membership ID number
• This process creates the member’s “sample” voiceprint which is then compared to their “base” voiceprint in the database
• If the voiceprints match, the member’s identity is verified
• If the voiceprints don’t match, the member is transferred to a live agent

Using voice biometrics, AHM is saving an average of 30 seconds per call.