Will Alexa Be Your New Office Assistant?
Last year Amazon Web Services (AWS) introduced the idea of Alexa as an office assistant to businesses. Amazon called this idea Alexa for Business, a solution that allows administrators to deploy and manage shared Alexa devices, skills, and users at scale.
At first, with the launch, an Amazon Echo could pair with existing office equipment. While the Amazon Echo is still used to pair with other devices, many businesses and organizations thought it would be more efficient if Alexa lived in office devices already without having to pair the Echo as a third-party device. Amazon took this feedback and created a solution to get rid of the middleman.
Alexa for Business and Alexa Voice Service
Amazon recently announced its solution which is that Amazon will now allow third-party device makers to manufacture Alexa into their devices for businesses. These third-party creators will design office devices with Alexa Voice Service (AVS) and can then register the products with Alexa for Business. Once they are registered, businesses can manage them as shared devices within their organizations. AVS brings voice-forward experiences to organizations as well as their customers.
How Businesses Can Use Alexa for Business
With an AVS device, businesses can use Alexa as an office assistant in a handful of ways. Alexa is useful in organizations or shared spaces in a number of ways, such as:
- Employees can interact with the technology at work using just their voices.
- Likewise, extending the use of third-party devices to shared areas such as:
- Conference rooms
- Hotel rooms
- Dorms rooms
- Lobbies
- Kitchens
- Break rooms
- Copy rooms
- Device management, such as:
- Room designation
- Device health monitoring
- Location setting
- Skill management, such as public and private skill assignments for shared devices without publishing them to the public Alexa Skills Store.
When Does Alexa for Business Launch?
It has launched already, but it is still in the early stages. While Amazon successfully exists in the consumer market, breaking ground in the business market would majorly impact the company and the industry. Regardless, the voice-controlled industry is ever-growing, and consumers continue to use their functions daily.
If Amazon succeeds in the business market, it is likely that others will follow their lead.