Amazon Is Allowing Companies to Make Office-Specific Alexa Apps

Amazon is allowing companies to create office-specific Alexa apps. The feature comes with the launch of Alexa for Business and allows companies to use one of Alexa's Blueprints to create their own voice app for the office that won't be accessible to anyone outside of the company.

Amazon initially launched Blueprints in April 2018 as a way for individual users to crew their own voice-controlled apps to use with the device. The pre-written apps don't require any coding experience to use, and allow Alexa users to do things like create flashcards, leave information for their babysitter, or create trivia quizzes about the family.

Alexa for Business Blueprints are available exclusively for Alexa for Business customers. Anyone in an office can create a skill, and then IT administrators can review that skill and enable it for the company's users and managed Alexa-enabled devices. Some suggestions for how to use the feature include allowing employees to ask questions like "Alexa, ask Office Helper, what days are we off for Thanksgiving?" or "...how do I process my contractor's invoice?" You could also load your office Alexa's with information about the guest WiFi password or when open enrollment starts.

Businesses are free to use any of the existing Blueprint templates with their organization. Amazon has also added a new Business tab to the Blueprints page with a few Business-specific options. Specifically, it has a Business Q&A template for businesses to load with workplace-specific questions as well as an Onboard Guide to provide new team members a guide to your organization.