The Smart Home market keeps growing, largely due to devices enabled by Google Home and Amazon Echo platforms. One in six American homes has one of these smart speakers. With Artificial Intelligence being built into these virtual assistants, the Smart Home is also getting smarter.
With these voice-controlled platforms, they couldn’t be easier to operate. That makes great news for homeowners, but it is also good news for real estate agents. Alexa can now help agents host their next Open House! This breakthrough comes from Amazon’s innovative technology they call “Blueprints.”
What are “Blueprints”?
Virtual Assistants use what Alexa calls a “skill”. It is much like what an app is on your smartphone. When you tell your virtual assistant to search for something, it uses a skill. Some “Skills” can be built in or you may have to add or enable a skill to use it.
If someone wanted to create a custom skill for a virtual assistant, like Alexa, hiring a software developer or individual to write the software to generate the skill was advised. Then it would be mandatory to submit the skill to the native company for it to be approved and then wait for its implementation for it to be available to use.
Now, with Blueprints, they give everyone the ability to create one’s own personalized Alexa skill in just minutes. No coding will be necessary and the entire process is English language based. If an agent or broker can write a home description, they can write a new skill to help them automate an Open House.
Creating a custom Q&A skill for an Open House:
An agent or broker would create a script asking a series of questions about the home. Here is an example:
What can you tell me about this home?
Then the agent would write what they want Alexa to say for the answer. Here’s a sample answer:
“Welcome to the Atlantic. Towering above the Atlanta skyline, The Atlantic is not only an Atlanta high rise condo, but a modern-day testament to Art Deco glamour and sophistication. This exquisite condo is in the heart of Midtown Atlanta. Features include floor-to-ceiling windows throughout stainless steel appliances, gas cooktop, granite countertops, hardwood floors.”
The agent or broker will probably place a small card with the phrase the visitor should ask, such as, “Alexa, what can you tell me about the Master Bedroom?” A list of questions on a flyer to be handed out for those who want to take the “Automated Home Tour by Alexa” may also be provided.
Alexa certainly isn’t there to replace the agent or broker, but there to aid them, so their not repeating themselves over and over.
Have any of you had a positive experience using Alexa to assist you with your open house? We’d love to hear about it!