I’ve been reading lately about the use of Amazon Echo (and similar technologies) in
business in places such as Hospitality and Healthcare. It seems to me that the
companies that figure out how to incorporate these voice enablement tools into
daily business life will win big. For instance, a Marriott in Chicago has
placed an Amazon Echo Dot in every room. Customers use the Amazon device to request towels, inform the front desk of room issues and set alarms for the
morning. Amazon built the Echo for retail voice ordering and that concept is taking
off in a big way. Enterprise business is testing the use of Echo in the conference room to start meetings and turn on video systems and projectors. In healthcare, consider the ability to ask your Echo to order your medication refill
or remind you when it’s time to take your medicine each day.
When I first started tinkering with smart home technologies it was because I wanted to learn about the technology and I wanted to have a cool wow factor at home. As I began to install lights, switches and outlets, I quickly realized the value this could have to a person with disabilities or those who are struggling with the challenges of age. In some cases, saying "Alexa turn off the lights" is not just a novelty; it's a quality of life issue.
The way to win is
to think different. We get stuck in the world of waiting until something is
proven to adopt it. That puts us in a position of always being in at least third (or fourth or even last) place. While we don’t have to be in
first place, it would be good to move up a few spaces. I suspect that you use technology constantly in your own lives. Read your industry trade magazines,
search the web, seek out innovation, look around your own home and consider -
how could I use technology to make what I do at work easier or more convenient
for everyone. What types of things do you do, or do your customers do, that could be voice enabled?
