Amazon introduces 'Alexa Custom Assistant' giving 3rd party companies the opportunity to leverage it's voice technology.
Amazon recently announced the release of 'Alexa Custom Assistant. A whole new toolkit which allows OEM's, device makers and service providers to create their own voice assistant leveraging Alexa's industry leading voice Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology. This is an unprecedented move from Amazon which has already seen companies such as auto manufacturing giant Fiat Chrysler jump on board to take advantage of the service.
Building a voice assistant from scratch is extremely complex and time-consuming before you even begin to factor the cost so it is obvious to see why many companies will chose to build their voice assistants with Alexa AI at the base. In addition to gaining access to the core Alexa AI, Amazon have also made it possible for companies to customise the ‘Alexa’ wake word and voice used when communicating with customers, meaning your voice assistants can now further enhance your brand rather than looking (and sounding) like they are facilitated purely by Amazon.
The use of the Alexa Custom Assistant will allow businesses to interact in a highly personal fashion with their customers. When answering questions or performing tasks understood by the custom assistant, it will sound exactly like your business and brand; however, for more generic or non-understood tasks the request will automatically be handed back to Alexa itself where she will then attempt to perform the task. So, you can think of this as your brand handling tasks specific to your business but always having Alexa itself with its full range of information there as a fall-back for any other tasks or queries.
The Alexa Custom Assistant is available as of today anywhere Alexa is supported: U.S., Canada, U.K., Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, and Brazil, with more countries to follow very soon.
What Does This Mean For Your Business?
So, what does all this mean for your business? With the removal of the 'Alexa' wake word and the ability to specify your own, your customers can interact with your voice assistant in a much more personal and intimate way. No longer will they have to say 'Alexa, tell {Your business} to perform x' and instead can directly say '{Your business} perform x'. A subtle but powerful difference when considering how branding and marketing can be affected by this.
You now also have a way of creating a voice assistant that sounds like your business. With the introduction of custom voices, you’re able to tailor the voice used when customers invoke your voice assistant, adding further to your brand and experience customers receive when they interact with your voice assistant.
Interested in what Alexa Custom Assistant can do for your business? Let’s talk!
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