Here's How You Can Use Alexa at Work

Amazon's quest to be everywhere continues with the rollout of Alexa for Business.

learn more about Nina Zipkin

By Nina Zipkin

Bloomberg | Getty Images

It’s something of an understatement at this point to say that Amazon wants to be everywhere. Of course, there's the ecommerce giant’s search algorithm and various dash buttons, and now the rollout this fall of the Amazon Key program.

And it seems like Alexa, Amazon's voice assistant, is already on its way to making significant financial gains for the company. A study from ecommerce platform Linc Global found that purchases from Alexa and Echo users increased by 13.5 percent in the third quarter of the year, up from 7.5 percent in the second quarter of 2017. Not only that, but investment services firm RBC Capital Markets is predicting that there could be 128 million Alexa device installations that could net Amazon $10 billion in revenue.

But Amazon isn’t content to just be installed in your home -- it wants to be embedded in your work life too, as November saw the official rollout of Alexa for Business. It seems that the company hopes developers will create customized skills for Alexa to carry out at the workplace.  

“When you build delightful, useful and habitual skills, customers win. We created the Alexa Developer Rewards program to pay you for the most engaging eligible skills on Alexa in seven key categories,” the company explained in a recent blog post. “Since the program launched in May, we have paid millions of dollars to developers in 22 countries who have skills live in the U.S., U.K. and Germany. And we’ll be expanding the program eligibility to skills in Japan, India and Canada in 2018.”

Right out of the gate, Alexa for Business users can utilize the platform to set up meetings, send messages and manage calendars. According to Amazon, you can also use the voice assistant to order office supplies or submit a complaint about the office building.

Weiting Liu, the co-founder and CEO of Codementor, a marketplace for people to connect with developers, says that the most popular skills and apps on Alexa have yet to be created. But there are some emerging examples -- some provided by our readers -- that illuminate where the platform is headed. “We're still at this stage where a lot of the app developers are still throwing a lot of things on the wall and seeing whatever sticks,” Liu tells Entrepreneur.

Here's some ways you can utilize Alexa at work.

Streamline billable hours

“Anecdotally, [I have noticed people] using Alexa skills to help them track their time to bill their clients,” Liu says.

Reference important facts

Liu says that you can ask Alexa to retrieve key figures and stats about your company to be read aloud to you during projects or meetings.

Resource management

Create ambience

Organize inter-office intramural leagues

Hands free tools

Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

Related Topics

Editor's Pick

This 61-Year-Old Grandma Who Made $35,000 in the Medical Field Now Earns 7 Figures in Retirement
A 'Quiet Promotion' Will Cost You a Lot — Use This Expert's 4-Step Strategy to Avoid It
3 Red Flags on Your LinkedIn Profile That Scare Clients Away
'Everyone Is Freaking Out.' What's Going On With Silicon Valley Bank? Federal Government Takes Control.
Leadership

How to Detect a Liar in Seconds Using Nonverbal Communication

There are many ways to understand if someone is not honest with you. The following signs do not even require words and are all nonverbal queues.

Celebrity Entrepreneurs

'I Dreaded Falling in Love.' Rupert Murdoch Is Getting Hitched for the Fifth Time.

The 92-year-old media tycoon announces he will wed former San Francisco police chaplain Ann Lesley Smith.

Business News

Carnival Cruise Wants Passengers to Have Fun in the Sun — But Do This, and You'll Get Burned With a New $500 Fee

The cruise line's updated contract follows a spate of unruly guest behavior across the tourism industry.

Starting a Business

Selling Your Business? Do These 6 Things Right Now.

If you want the maximum price you need to make these moves before you do anything else.

Leadership

How Great Entrepreneurs Find Ways to Win During Economic Downturns

Recessions are an opportunity to recalibrate and make great strides in your business while others are unprepared to brave the challenges. Here's how great entrepreneurs can set themselves up for success despite economic uncertainty.