Chat software provider taps into voice assistants

Internet Retailing

5th Jun 2018

Chat software provider, LiveEngage, has rolled out a new feature that enables customers to carry out a range of simple tasks – like paying a bill – hands-free, using Amazon’s and Google’s voice assistants.

The move comes as more retailers and brands embrace artificial intelligence-enabled voice assistants to allow customers to search for and buy items on their websites and on marketplaces where they sell goods.

The LiveEngage feature takes it one step further by enabling customers to transition their conversation from a voice assistant to a message interface, if they walk out of range of their Alexa smart speaker or Google Home device, for instance.

Users can take the same thread “on the go” without losing the flow or context. They can also access both bots and human staff in one thread, so if any questions are too complicated for a bot, it can be escalated to a human.

“As brands adopt conversational commerce, they need to offer consumers a continuous connection across all the most important conversational channels, and LivePerson is the first company to deliver it,” the company’s founder and CEO Robert LoCascio said.

LivePerson CTO Alex Spinelli said the feature is squarely aimed at consumers, who are adopting voice assistants in high numbers.

“Alexa and other voice assistants are among the most beloved consumer technologies and increasingly a part of people’s everyday lives — in the kitchen, the living room, and beyond,” he said.