Security vs User Experience: How to streamline identity verification without compromising compliance?

A dilemma for all businesses

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Identity verification is a key issue for many businesses, especially those operating in the financial, banking, or digital services sectors. But how to ensure that this process does not become a barrier to acquiring new customers ?

Faced with a digital world where customers want instant services, their patience is increasingly limited. A bad experience on the verification journey can be detrimental to the company reputation and lead to massive dropouts. On the other hand, not doing a thorough audit presents serious risks: fraud, identity theft, and non-compliance with regulations.

Finding the balance between safety and user experience is therefore crucial. Businesses need to be able to streamline the process without sacrificing the rigor of controls. But how do you get there?

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Mistakes that scare users away

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Dropouts due to a poor verification experience are much more common than we think. Here are some of the most common mistakes that can hinder the conversion.

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1. Too many steps kills the stage

While each verification step is important, too many repeated requests or redundant can be a factor in abandonment. For example, ask for a scan of the identity document, a selfie, then a video of the person reading a specific sentence... This overload can make the process not only long, but also stressing for the customer, who might prefer to give up rather than endure this complexity.

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2. Too long a validation period

A customer wants to validate their identity quickly to access their services or products. If he has to wait more than 24 hours or several days For an answer, it can be seen as a waste of time. This delay is a direct cause of loss of customers, because in the majority of cases, the user will look for an alternative that offers a faster and smoother experience.

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3. A poorly optimized journey on mobile

Users are now carrying out nearly 80% of their identity verifications via their smartphones. If the interface is not optimized for mobile, it can lead to a poor user experience. For example, a poorly designed form, fields that are not adapted to the size of the screen, or interfaces that don't support modern mobile features can quickly interfere with the smooth flow of the process.

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How do you reconcile compliance and fluidity?

So how do you solve this dilemma? How to guarantee secure identity control while providing a smooth user experience ? Here are some winning strategies.

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✅ Using AI to speed up document verification

Artificial intelligence (AI) makes it possible to simplify and quicken the verification process. Thanks to technologies such as OCR (optical character recognition) and automatic metadata check, AI can instantly validate the authenticity of identity documents, reducing processing times. No more waiting for someone to review each document manually: AI takes over to ensure a fast and reliable verification.

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✅ Focus on intelligent automation

Instead of always asking for a video selfie or additional evidence, intelligent automation makes it possible to assess the risk level of each profile. For example, a long time user may be subject to less stringent checks than a new registrant, especially when detected as being in a high-risk country.

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✅ Offer an optimized UX for speed

The user interface should be unsophisticated, Intuitive, and reactive. Here are some best practices:

• Automatically pre-fill form fields thanks to OCR, which reduces manual entry.
• Offer a compatible interface Mobile-first, optimized for smartphones, as 80% of users use their phones to verify their identity.
• Show a estimated validation time, in order to reassure the user about the speed of the process.

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✅ Adapting the level of control to the risk

An identity check should be adapted to the level of risk associated with the transaction or the user. For example, a user connecting from a device already registered And a familiar location will not need to provide such detailed proof of identity as a new customer, who is connecting from a high-risk country. This customization of control helps to reduce friction while maintaining a high security level.

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The direct impact on the conversion rate

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Optimizing identity verification is not limited to improving the user experience: it also has a significant impact on conversion rate.

Here are some results obtained by some businesses after optimizing their identity verification processes:
📈 +30% of validated registrations, thanks to a faster and smoother process.
⏳ 70% reduction in validation time, making it possible to offer an almost instantaneous response.
🚀 Improving customer satisfaction, through a simplified and transparent process.

These results show that an effective and smooth identity verification process can significantly increase the conversion rate, reduce dropouts and improve customer experiences.