The Growing Need for Biometrics in Chatbots
As most industries continue to digitalize their operations, the demand for faster and more reliable customer service also increases. Providing consumers with an online platform to communicate with the brands became a priority for many, especially with the continual increase in digital purchases in recent years. And with 80% of individuals expecting quicker responses from businesses, investing in modern solutions enables companies to answer their patrons’ inquiries promptly.
The Rise of Chatbots
And one tool that has seen a significant increase in adoption in the past decade is chatbots, helping organizations enhance remote customer support. Chatbots are designed to perform human-like conversations through text or text-to-speech. They are relatively easy to integrate with various digital channels, such as websites and instant messaging applications.
Chatbots implemented by different institutions vary in complexity, but all of them can help answer basic inquiries about services or account information. But some are designed to perform intricate tasks, such as analyzing expenditures and finalizing payments.
For various firms, especially those in complex industries, chatbots will allow them to save money in the long run and use it for other activities. And for consumers, chatbots can eliminate the need to wait for a response, improving their overall experience when shopping for different goods and services.
The Risks of Using Traditional User Verification
Like other customer service channels, businesses also employ identity verification for online chat sessions. They do this by asking the customers for their knowledge-based authentication (KBA) credentials, such as usernames and passwords. But the over-reliance on passwords and PINs in the past decades has already made them vulnerable to theft, with fraudsters stealing billions from countless companies globally.
And depending on the purpose of the customer when using chatbots, a session might also include some other sensitive personally identifiable information (PII), including social security numbers, banking information, or physical addresses. Hackers can easily steal the PII if they successfully exploit their target enterprise’s network. This can lead to extensive financial and reputational damage.
Investing in Biometrics
Integrating biometrics in chatbots can be a game changer for organizations wanting a high level of security for their systems and customers. Using biological data, particularly facial recognition, for identity proofing is an ideal KBA alternative, as it can ensure that the person using the chatbot is a legitimate customer. Furthermore, an individual’s facial structure or fingerprint is often difficult to replicate, so fraudsters will have difficulty attacking their target institutions.
Conclusion
Chatbots revolutionized how many firms approach customer service, with the new technology helping them automate communications with their clients. But the continuous use of knowledge-based credentials in chatbots still poses risks of identity theft that can lead to billions of losses. With biometrics, businesses can guarantee that the information shared in each chatbot session is secured.
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