As the world has gone digital, user authentication has become one of the most challenging areas in the customer journey. Many enterprises have been trying to simplify this important stage of the customer lifecycle. From simple passwords to more innovative techniques like A2P SMS and Flash Calls, the user authentication journey has started evolving significantly. But obviously, security and customer experience must go hand in hand if enterprises are to succeed in a digital-first world.
Why Has User Authentication Moved Away from Just Passwords?
Businesses are looking to out-do each other in delivering hassle-free experiences for their customers. But for this, every aspect, like verifying consumer authenticity, speed of service, secure transactions, data exchange, etc., needs to play well together.
A decade ago, passwords were the default trend for user authentication login. Mixing numbers or special characters and strict adherence to character length did the job quite easily.
But over the years, using passwords alone for user authentication has become a risky proposition for businesses. Studies show that 80% of data breaches are linked to bad practices used in password creation and management by users.
With faster internet speeds, consumers want to quickly dive into the action with minimal clicks and typing. This need for a faster, more secure, and intuitive user authentication experience has made passwords an obsolete entity. They are now on their way out of the good books of people.
The Shift in Trends
With password-based user authentication slowly disappearing from the limelight, businesses have been looking for a replacement. But it must be newer, safer, and, most importantly, intuitive in verifying customers.
Over 60% of the global internet population comes online from their smartphones. As a result, businesses are rapidly transforming their digital channels by launching dedicated smartphone apps. These apps leverage much of the underlying device’s network capabilities for various functions. This has led to the dawn of a new breed of innovative user authentication experiences.
Let us explore the top 3 trends that dominate the user authentication journey in modern enterprise applications.
Silent Authentication
Silent authentication is an excellent way for enterprises to simplify the user authentication login process, especially during account creation. It works by leveraging the user’s smartphone network.
The mobile operator will automatically verify the customer’s credentials based on the data connection used. Data available with the mobile operator’s customer data vault is matched against smartphone signals generated on the user’s established connection. This brings a great deal of convenience and added security to the user authentication journey. By eliminating the need for OTPs and textual password inputs, the chances of fraud are minimized and users have to worry less about its impact.
No customer response needed means there is no need to fear modern phishing or social engineering scams. Such scams usually trick people into revealing OTPs or verification texts. Contrarily, the above approach completes user authentication in seconds, with zero customer input. The only downside is that users must have a good data connection as silent authentication doesn’t work over Wi-Fi.
A2P SMS
Application-to-person messaging, or A2P SMS, is a common business messaging system used for user authentication today. It is a communication link between an application and a user’s device powered by the underlying mobile network.
Carriers globally treat A2P and P2P traffic differently, allowing businesses to use A2P to authenticate their customers safely. P2P messages may be screened and rejected by carriers owing to potential scams or safety threats.
A2P messages can be configured with the right tools to ensure a clear distinction. They can be used to deliver OTPs straight to the user device’s app interface. This allows automatic verification even if the user doesn’t open the text message containing the OTP. A2P is designed to work in a scenario where a user isn’t expected to reply to the text.
Flash Calls
Flash calls — yet another user authentication login method where customers don’t have to do anything. Flash calls make for the easiest verification system used today.
A customer is authenticated from their mobile phone by a missed call to a specific number allotted to the business. Any transactional activity, like signing up for the services, user validation, etc., is done by leveraging unique digital codes. The codes would be embedded in the incoming calls to the business’s flash call programmed number. These codes act as virtual passwords and instantaneously authenticate users without any additional input.
The biggest benefit of flash calls is that they automatically handle the entire process without causing any inconvenience for customers. The call is intercepted, the password processed, and the user is verified through a series of automated tasks. These tasks are handled by the flash call solution implemented. This is a great way to engage customers by reducing hassles in their app user journey.
Faster, Safer, and Seamless Is the Way Forward
The user authentication journey for modern digital enterprises considers speed, security, and ease of use as core metrics for success. Enterprises must find the right technology to:
- Tap into consumer mobile networks
- Carry out their authentication process seamlessly and accurately
- Deliver risk free experiences faster
- Build more efficient communication channels
This is where our suite of enterprise offerings in the user authentication space becomes a great option. Contact us to explore how our solutions powered by advanced analytics, AI, and more can redefine the user authentication journey. Talk to our experts to know more.