The VeSecure technology identifies customers calling its contact centres using their voice characteristics before routing them to the appropriate member of staff.

The vendor says its system improves customer service and convenience as well as adding an extra layer of security and privacy to telephone enquiries and transactions.

Earlier this week National Australia Bank introduced biometric voice verification based on Salmat VeCommerce technology for its telephone banking customers.

The vendor's general manager, Emea, Brett Feldon, says it is also talking to a number of UK-based financial institutions about introducing the technology.

Says Feldon: "The new deployment at Aviva Australia shows the maturity and growing acceptance of voice biometrics by some of the world's leading financial institutions. In an increasingly competitive environment where there is heightened pressure to provide better customer service as well as boost security by removing the reliance on PINs and passwords, we expect other global players to follow their example."