Alexa for Business now lets you create address books for easier calling from shared Echo devices
Alexa for Business now lets you create address books that make it easier for users to place phone calls from shared Echo devices. With Alexa for Business, you can place Echo devices in common areas like conference rooms, shared workspaces, or hotel rooms. These are called shared Echo devices, and you can make phone calls from these devices. With this feature, you can create address books and assign them to specific shared Echo devices, which lets users ask Alexa to make phone calls by name rather than by speaking phone numbers. IT can add frequently accessed phone numbers to address books, such as an IT helpdesk, or the facilities team, and make it easier for users to access these services.
You can create address books in the Alexa for Business console by clicking on the Create Address Book link in the Calls tab. Address books can contain frequently used contacts, such as the IT helpdesk, facilities, or the building reception. When an address book is associated with a shared Echo device, users can initiate a call from the device to a contact in the address book by using the contact name. For example, a user trying to reach the IT helpdesk could say “Alexa, call IT”. You can create multiple address books, and assign them to different shared Echo devices. This lets you use different numbers for the same contact when used in different contexts. For example, you might have a unique phone number for the IT helpdesk in each building; creating a unique address book for each building makes it possible for users reach the right IT helpdesk when they need to. To learn more about setting up address books for your shared Echo devices, please visit Managing Calling in the Alexa for Business Admin Guide.
Alexa for Business makes it easy for you to introduce Alexa to your organization, providing you the tools you need to manage Alexa devices, users, and skills at scale. You can create address books in Alexa for Business console in all AWS regions where the service is available. Visit the Alexa for Business website to learn more.