Case Study: Virginia Credit Union achieves faster, frictionless and more secure member authentication with Nuance Communications

Virginia Credit Union delights members with secure account access

Virginia Credit Union (VACU), a $3.4B credit union serving more than 260,000 members, faced slow, cumbersome agent-driven authentication that frustrated members, lengthened calls, and increased fraud risk. To modernize verification without replacing its IVR and preserve a high-touch member experience, VACU partnered with Nuance Communications to implement voice biometrics—branded as VACU Voice ID—using Nuance FreeSpeech and FraudMiner.

Nuance Communications integrated FreeSpeech and FraudMiner into VACU’s telephony and backend systems, adding a speaker‑verification controller and an agent desktop pop‑up for seamless, in‑call authentication. Deployed in under six months, the Nuance solution cut average handle time by 37 seconds (saving roughly two FTEs per month), enrolled about 20,000 voiceprints, delivered 79,000+ verified matches in the first year, improved member and agent satisfaction, and helped detect and block fraud attempts.

Virginia Credit Union

Kate Hopson

AVP/Manager, Contact Center