Many people wonder what the difference between biometric identification and verification is, so in this article we tell you everything you need to know about the differences and the benefits they bring to companies.
Identity spoofing, the candy for cybercriminals.
Nowadays, we can say that, in general, companies are directing their efforts towards the digitalization of their services, whatever the sector they are in, providing their users with greater autonomy through their platforms and applications where users can manage themselves.
However, despite great benefits such as improved customer experience, time savings, and ease of operations, this trend towards digitization is the perfect scenario for cybercrime, where identity fraud is the most recurrent crime with 58% according to a survey by the AECF (2021).
Given this situation, companies are betting on more sophisticated security systems such as Biometric Identification and Verification technology, which, according to the same survey, is being implemented by 55% of the companies surveyed.
However, doubts may have arisen as to what is biometric identification?, is it the same as verification?, or why is it so interesting?, let us clear up your doubts in this post.
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Are biometric identification and biometric verification the same thing?
No, biometric identification is not the same as verification, since identification consists of determining the identity of a person by capturing the biometric element of our choice, whether it is the fingerprint, the vein pattern, the eye pattern (iris and retina) or even the voice itself. In other words, indicating that an element belongs to a specific person, creating that connection.
On the other hand, biometric authentication, also known as verification, has more to do with a subsequent process in which the data of a person’s characteristics are compared with the biometric element stored in a database, which is associated with that specific person, in order to determine their similarity and corroborate the match between the fingerprint and the person to whom they belong.
Benefits of biometric fingerprinting for customer identification and verification.
Fraud detection
Proving that a person claims to be who they are by verifying real-life intangible traits inherent to the person that cannot be replicated and supplanted by technology, such as voice, iris or fingerprint, offers companies high levels of reliability, allowing agents to react immediately to potential errors or impersonations to prevent potential crime.
Efficient identification processes
This technology optimizes processes and increases the efficiency of agents by reducing waiting times and the minutes they spend on this task. In this way, it is possible to carry out the customer’s request in a faster way, while at the same time reducing the possibility of human error, allowing to improve KPIs such as the Average Handle Time.
In addition, by achieving higher process efficiencies, agents spend less time on the phone, resulting in lower operating costs while avoiding costs associated with fraud and identity theft.
Improved Customer Experience
Customer experience is becoming more and more essential for all companies. Improving customer experience involves several factors, including reducing waiting times, optimizing processes and maximizing safety and quality of service. Therefore, identifying a customer in a matter of seconds through biometric fingerprinting without the need to resort to security questions and without neglecting their security, offers the customer an improved experience by reducing waiting times and optimizing identification and verification processes.
Compliance with international data protection regulations
The regulations do not expressly require biometric identification, however, regulations such as the GDPR state that individuals must voluntarily give specific, informed and unambiguous consent before companies can process their data. Therefore, once an individual is biometrically identified, their identity will be linked to the status of their consent, whatever it may be, enabling corrective actions to ensure compliance.
These benefits explain why more and more companies are turning to biometric identification, particularly companies in highly regulated sectors such as finance or healthcare. It is particularly interesting when this technology is integrated with call recording solutions, offering a comprehensive approach to security and compliance, such as the Recordia solution, which offers the service of biometric voice identification and verification while recording calls.
If you want to know more about our biometrics solution, Recordia Biometric Identification, click here.