From Combat to Home Front, Voice-As-Password Makes Banking Simple

Moments after she answers a call, Amy Ingrim can often tell by an urgent tone of voice if the caller — sometimes a soldier, sailor, aviator, or U.S. Marine deployed somewhere around the world — is in harm’s way. Whether they are in Baghdad, the South China Sea, or some other faraway location, military customers still need to conduct their banking and take care of business at home, said Ingrim, a Wells Fargo phone banker in San Antonio. Now, many are finding it easier than ever to bank from afar using Voice Verification, a technology available to Wells Fargo customers that allows them to use their voices as their passwords. “They usually don’t have much time to talk or go through a lot of steps to verify their identity,” said Ingrim, who works in the Military Banking Contact Center. “With Voice Verification, they can be authenticated right away, without answering any other questions. Our goal is to make their banking easy and let them get back to their mission as quickly as possible.”