FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – ONLINE TRAINING COURSES
Where can I contact for technical support?
You can email onlinesupport@allnycsafety.com. We try to be as responsive as possible but please allow 12-24 hours for a response.
How long does it take to complete a course?
It depends on the course. All course base times are listed in details section. These times are based on the time it takes to get through the material, quizzes and exam once. However, there are a number of factors that can add to this time such as personal reading speed, taking notes, repeating sections, slower internet speeds, etc. There is no penalty for going over the minimum required time.
Can I start and stop the online course?
Yes, you can start any course and pause as needed before completion. The advantage of online training is convenience, so you choose when to take your training course. The learning management system will remember where you were, so you can start right where you left off!
Do the online courses have any in-person requirements?
The only course that requires an in-person training component is the 8-Hour Fall Prevention course. You are required to attend a 1-Hour in-person training at All NYC Safety’s Brooklyn training facility. All other online courses can be taken and completed 100% online.
Do I receive a completion certificate?
Upon completion you will receive a course completion certificate. To complete a course, you must complete all course work, quizzes and exams throughout the course. In order to request your SST Card please follow this link: https://www.allnycsafety.com/courses/sst-card/sst-card-request/
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – VOICE AUTHENTICATION
Why is Voice Authentication used on the online safety courses?
The voice authenticated courses represent a best practice to ensure the identity of the student throughout the course. This is done using Voice Biometrics which every student must set up. Before you begin your online training course you will receive an automated call from the Voice Biometrics call center to your registered phone number (your personal cell phone is recommended). Follow the instructions on the call and screen to create a voice imprint by repeating a set of unique numbers. Randomly, throughout the online course you will receive a call back to the same phone and instructed to repeat a different set of numbers. If the voice matches, you will be able to continue the course. If the voice authentication fails, the course will pause until authenticated.
Who manages the Voice Authentication process?
Voice Biometrics is managed by Voice Biometrics Group (VBG) – https://www.voicebiogroup.com. VBG does not license any technology from 3rd parties. The VMM-3 voice biometric engine and VBG Platform were created entirely by their voice biometric engineers, system architects, and developers. The core team has years of experience in voice biometric engineering, digital signal processing, and software development.
How does Voice Biometrics work?
The accuracy of voiceprints is comparable to that of fingerprints and other commonly used biometrics. VBG regularly tunes verification systems to 96-99% accuracy levels. The VMM-3 voice biometric engine uses both physiological and behavioral characteristics of your voice to create a unique voiceprint. And since a majority of these characteristics tend to be consistent over time, they can be accurately measured under varying conditions.
What data is collected and is my personal information protected and private?
VBG takes the collection of personally identifiable information (PII) very seriously. They only collect speech samples (source WAV audio) which they use to process into voiceprints, or to compare to stored voiceprints during verify and identify events. Personal data can only be sent to the system via VBG’s secure APIs, which require an account code and API access token. Once data is received in the VBG System, it is either discarded from memory or written to our secure database. Any personally identifiable information that is stored in VBG’s database is encrypted using AES-256 encryption under FIPS 140-2 guidance.
I am having problems with connecting to the call center to authenticate my voice. What can I do?
Some issues can occur with the telephone network (local busy signal or not available message or low cell signals), but they tend to self-correct. In these cases, students simply need to try again when they can make a call. It is highly recommended to register your cell phone for the voice authentication process. If technical issues persist, email onlinesupport@allnycsafety.com.
Why did my voice authentication fail?
In general, we recommend that students call from a relatively quiet location, where there are not a lot of background noises (like radio, TV, background conversations, etc.), and where you can speak in a normal and comfortable voice. We ask that students not speak like a robot, or very slowly, but it’s best to try to match the pacing of the prompts that you hear – and then consistently follow these guidelines whenever using the system.
Here is a list of common reasons voice authentication can fail:
- Too much background noise
- Not speaking loudly enough
- Speaking too loudly
- Not repeating the proper numbers
In cases such as these, the VBG system has been designed to catch these errors and provide an appropriate message for you to try again.
Here is a list of less common reasons for voice authentication failure:
- Verifying in a significantly different environment vs. the enrollment session
- Using a significantly different verification device vs. enrollment
- Being a different user
- Having a low-quality voiceprint
The VBG system again responds with appropriate messages whenever possible and offers opportunities to retry.
The best advice is to keep things simple: always use your cell phone, try to take course modules in a similar, reasonably noise-free environment each time, and keep using a normal comfortable speaking voice.