Amazon Echo is getting smarter, there are more useful (as opposed to useless spam) skills being added almost daily and the core intelligence of Echo is getting better. Alexa, Echo’s voice, can now not only tell me where my nearest Sainsbury’s is but can also tell me the opening times – it couldn’t do that at launch.
Echo can let you know when your Amazon deliveries are on the way, but now Hermes are the first mainstream courier to fully integrate their end to end tracking solution with Amazon Echo. Customers will be able to use Alexa voice commands to hear updates on their Hermes delivery from Amazon Echo or Dot devices.
Many of the UK’s best-known retailers and brands use Hermes but in good news for sellers who use the myHermes service, consumers will be able to track these parcels too, as well as any returns using the Hermes network.
“An important part of our remit is to explore new and exciting technologies that will allow us to enrich the delivery experience. Digital assistants such as Siri, Cortana and Alexa have been developed to drive increased convenience, and our research tells us that there will be a future shift away from screen interactions in favour of conversational interface technology. We are thrilled with our initial release, but we are already experimenting with new interactions and functionality that we will be releasing throughout this year.”
– David Turner, Hermes Head of Digital Strategy & Technology Innovation
The next developments will be the ability to ask Alexa where the nearest myHermes ParcelShop is located, set your delivery preferences such as safe place location and preferred neighbours and schedule a courier collection.
“It remains absolutely vital that we continue to push the innovative boundaries to create additional value for our clients and the ever-demanding Millennial Generation. We are excited to see what further innovations 2017 will bring.”
– Carole Woodhead, CEO of Hermes
Hermes have already given insight into some of their plans which include better tracking notification, inflight redirections and 7 day a week deliveries.
