XING takes first steps into voice with a skill for Amazon Alexa
“Alexa, öffne XING”
With this voice command, it is now possible for all XING members with an Alexa device to dive directly into the XING universe. Whether in the car on the way to work or relaxed on your couch at home, the language assistant informs you quickly about XING-relevant updates. It is the first XING product that can be entirely operated without the need for a graphical interface. Based on initial experiences with the XING job market bot for WhatsApp as a new “channel” in 2017, XING now wants to focus on the next relevant topic of the coming years: Voice.
Be present where our users are
Almost a third of all website visits and 50% of all search queries worldwide will be made by voice by 2020, says the American market research institute “Gartner”. The experts agree: Voice will become the platform of the coming years and change entire industries. The market for language assistants is booming accordingly. Currently, Amazon’s Alexa has the market advantage against their opponents like Cortana, Siri and others. This market sovereignty and proximity to the end consumer are only two reasons why we at XING decided to take our first steps into this new technology together with Amazon. We want to be represented on the platforms on which our users are active.
Innovation through in-house Hackweeks
XING is a company that has a powerful focus on innovation and, closely related to it, a culture of testing. Accordingly, it comes as no surprise to us that the “XING Alexa Project” has emerged from one of the so-called Hackweeks. Throughout the year, XING organises three one-week Hackweeks in which employees from a wide variety of fields work together on a topic of their choice for a week and then present it. The focus here is on the learning-aspects and on trying out new things. As this case shows some projects are developed beyond a Hackweek and also get published to users. In the last weeks, we have deepened these first experiences from the Hackweek with the still relatively new technology and developed the first voice only product for XING.
What can XING’s skill do and where can I use it?
After activating the skill by saying “Alexa, öffne XING” to Alexa (or installing it here) you will be asked to link your XING account in the Alexa app. The skill can then provide information about your most recent profile visitors, the upcoming birthdays of your contacts and read your personalised industry news. The skill is available in German on all Alexa-enabled Amazon devices (e.g. Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, etc.) as well as in all third-party devices such as the new BMW cars or even Mini vehicles (BMW announced to integrate Alexa into their cars from mid-2018).
Now go ahead and start testing our XING Alexa skill. We’re looking forward to receiving lots of feedback from you. Thanks.
First published on https://blog.xing.com/de/2018/05/30/xing-entwickelt-und-testet-alexa-skill-fuer-seine-user/
