Alexa Knowledge Skills Advance to Existing Templates

Note the capabilities for security in the enterprise, as well as editing and reuse of existing knowledge.  Ultimately if this is done well, it can greatly advance business oriented systems.  Managing the underlying data will still be a challenge.   In the past we built FAQ based systems.  More detail below:

Amazon’s Alexa Knowledge Skills enables voice-guided FAQs, glossaries, and more     By Kyle Wiggers in Venturebeat.

In yet another step toward the enterprise side of the burgeoning conversational intelligence segment, Amazon today launched Alexa Knowledge Skills, a new skill type for its Alexa platform that allows employees and customers to ask questions about an organization’s data without invoking a skill name. It’s available in preview starting today, ahead of general availability in the months to come.

As Alexa senior product marketing manager Ben Grossman explains in a blog post, Alexa Knowledge skills enable folks to ask Alexa about different types of data, including (but not limited to) organization charts, building information, events, FAQs, glossaries, product catalogs, and more. Developing a Knowledge skill requires a spreadsheet of data but no extensive coding or cloud infrastructure, and the skills are privately distributed through Amazon’s Alexa for Business or Alexa for Hospitality services, meaning that they remain accessible only on devices within an organization. ... " 

Hospitality Experiment by Marriott and Alexa

I know of several other hospitality experiments going on, its a natural direction.  Distinguishing, but will it save a hotel labor and resources?   What skills could do that?  Examining Alexa for Hospitality.

Amazon and Marriott Want to Modernize Hotel Experiences  By Lisa Morgan in Informationweek.

The hospitality industry wants to make travel experiences as "friction-free" as possible. Amazon and Marriott are advancing that concept by placing Amazon Echo speakers in hotel rooms so guests' desires can be fulfilled with mere utterances.

Amazon and Marriott International will start modernizing hotel stays this summer with Amazon Echo speakers that feature Alexa for Hospitality. Forget about bulky in-room binders and hotel service extension codes, including the front desk. Just sit back, relax and tell Alexa what you need or want.

"We think travelers will love having a voice-first experience during their stays at hotels," said a Marriott International spokesperson. "This will enable travelers to access local and hotel information, as well as play music and control smart home products [including] lights, thermostat, TV, [and] blinds." .... "