Amazon Alexa

Amazon Alexa Integration allows you to access data in Bloomreach Engagement through your virtual voice assistant, Alexa.

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You can integrate a single Alexa device only with one project at a time. However, one project can be integrated with multiple devices.

Alexa integrates with individual projects on Bloomreach Engagement. Multiple Alexa devices can access one project, but only one project can be accessed by a single device.

Setup process

To integrate Amazon Alexa with Bloomreach Engagement, go through the following steps:

  1. Go to Data & Assets > Integrations > + Add new integration > Amazon Alexa.
  2. Click on Start linking, and you will get credentials in the form of a shortened project name and 8-digit PIN code.
  3. Open the Alexa Companion app and enable the "Exponea" skill. This should open a Bloomreach Engagement linking page.
  4. Enter the credentials from Step 2 and confirm.
  5. Once successful, you can test the integration by saying: "Alexa, ask Exponea how many customers we have."
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PIN code is valid only for 1 hour and is invalidated after an unsuccessful linking attempt.

Functions

Reading metric

Alexa can read any defined metrics, but data filters can be applied to the data. If you have a metric called "Revenue", you could invoke it by saying: "Alexa, ask Exponea what is our Revenue for the last two weeks." Alternatively, you can also ask in the following ways, "What is the value of Revenue?", "What's our Revenue?" or "How much Revenue have we made?".

When creating a metric to read it through Alexa, we recommend that you:

  • Only use metrics based on events, not aggregates, as data filtering will not apply to those.
  • Use an easy English word as the metric's name so that it is recognizable by Alexa when you say it.
  • Select the metrics format (like $) so that Alexa reads it along with the value.

When invoking the metric through Alexa, it is recommended that you make a short pause before saying the name of the metric when giving Alexa the command. Our Revenue example would be: "Alexa, ask Exponea what is our ... Revenue".

Reading dashboards

Alexa can also read dashboards. If you have a dashboard called "Customer Happiness", you could invoke it by saying: "Alexa, ask Exponea for a briefing about Customer happiness." We recommend using the same best practices as laid out in the Reading metrics section.

Alexa will be able to read the following components in a dashboard:

  • Text component - a static piece of text.
  • HTML component - a dynamic piece of HTML interpreted as text. It is also possible to use jinja templates for the HTML components which can create an interesting set of possibilities about what Alexa will say. The template can look like the following example, where Alexa decides how happy customers are based on a formula: <p>Our customers are {% if metrics["abcdef123456"] > 40 %} very happy {% else %} somewhat dissatisfied {% endif %}.
  • Metric component - read as a metric.

Conversation mode

If you want to ask Alexa multiple questions about the data in Bloomreach Engagement, it is best to say "Alexa, open Exponea", and afterward, you can give it commands without the "Alexa, ask Exponea" prefix. When you are done with the questions, it is sufficient to say, "Alexa, cancel."