Frequently Asked Questions

• Who do you license your voice biometric engine and delivery platform from?
  • We don't license our technology from 3rd parties. The VMM-1™ voice biometric engine and VSP™ web service were created entirely by the voice biometric engineers, system architects, and developers at VGB. Our team has years of experience in voice biometric engineering, digital signal processing, web services architecture and development, etc. We do work with outside companies on some elements of our system, but our core technology is our own.
• How accurate are voiceprints compared to other authentication technologies?
  • The accuracy of voiceprints is comparable to that of fingerprints. VBG regularly tunes verification systems in the 98.0 to 99.95% false acceptance range. Our VMM-1™ voice engine use both the physiological and behavioral characteristics of your voice to create a unique voiceprint. The majority of these characteristics tend to be consistent over time, so they can be accurately scored even with changes to environmental conditions.
• Can someone mimic or record my voice and get fraudulent access to my account?
  • This is extremely unlikely. A person’s voice is unique to them. And while some professionals and comedians might seem to sound like someone else, the VMM-1™ voice engine measures and scores vocal characteristics that a human being cannot hear (or recreate). Further, voice biometric prompting techniques are regularly employedd to use random words, phrases, or numbers -- thereby eliminating prior knowledge of what will be requested.
• If I have a cold or allergies, can I still be verified?
  • Yes. The VMM-1™ engine models many different vocal features. Our scoring system models and scores each and every feature individually and adds them up into a composite score. So, if there are small changes to a few features, such as might occur with a cold, the flu or allergies, the overall score can still be accurate and the user verified. VBG also works with its clients to add additional rules into the voice dialogs. So, if a score is lower than expected, another prompt can be offered to the user or a live agent could intervene.
• Can I make a call on a different phone than the one on which I enrolled?
  • Yes. In this day and age, people typically have access to several phones -- their home phone, their cell phone, and phones at work. It is impractical to require users to only use one phone, so the VBG service is designed to operate with every phone. However, it is true that the best results typically occur when a user enrolls and verifies using the same phone. To help compensate for changes between phones, VBG uses sophisticated models to help normalize the variations that occur between handsets, telephone networks, and transmission types (CELL vs. VOIP vs. POTS).
• What should I do if I am calling from a phone with poor reception or quality?
  • VBG's active audio analysis tools will help guide you every step of the way. You should be able to use our services from any telephone. However, if we are unable to understand your speech, or if there is too much background noise, or if there are other issues with your audio, our system will prompt you to try again. In extreme examples (i.e. one or no "bars" on a cell phone) we may ask you to wait a moment and then call back.
• How will a noisy background affect my call?
  • In most cases, VBG's advanced noise reduction algorithms will remove any unwanted background noise -- leaving our voice biometric engine to process only the portions of the conversation that we need. When noise levels are too high however, our service will prompt the user to try again or perhaps even ask them to call back from a quieter location. As a general rule, you should be able to speak comfortably from a location with typical noise. Users should avoid loud and noisy areas that are crowded (sporting events, bars, concerts, etc), as there will be too much audio information for the service to reliably process.
• Can I try your authentication technology before I buy it?
  • Yes. VBG offers a free trial program for all prospective customers -- in fact we prefer it. Our free trial program allows prospective customers to try our hosted voice authentication service (VBG VSP™) for up to 60 days with no obligations or sales hassles whatsoever. We also have fully managed and hosted internal trial programs suitable for larger corporations or companies with more advanced needs.
• How do you license your software and services?
  • VBG's verification technology is meant to be operated as a service. We have two basic service delivery methods: (1) hosted services, and (2) premise-based services. In our hosted service, you pay a monthly subscription fee based on actual usage. Software licensing, maintenance, data storage, system administration, and techical support are included in your monthly fee. For premised-based installations, you pay a one-time (perpetual), server-based license fee in the first year and then a 20% annual maintenance free each year thereafter. Consulting fees are charged for initial setup and optimization, as well as for any optional services desired.
• Do you have a partner program?
  • Yes. VBG has no direct sales force, so we rely on a network of partners and value-added resellers (VARs) to help us sell and deliver our products and services. In some cases such as password reset systems, we would entirely through partners as they have significantly greater expertise with respect to their applications and markets. If you are interested in developing a partnership with us, please contact us.