In a move to simplify energy at home, Australian energy retailers are offering an intelligent voice control service to customers.
EnergyAustralia and AGL have announced the launch of Amazon Alexa – an intelligent cloud-based service – to make it easier for customers to manage their energy accounts.
AGL New Energy executive general manager Elisabeth Brinton said customers could sign up and be able to ask Alexa key questions about their energy bill by enabling the AGL skill for Alexa, giving them more convenience in how they interact with AGL.
“This is a natural extension of our commitment to giving customers greater control over their energy use and follows our track record of innovation and advocacy for new technologies and solutions including smart metering, mobile management of energy usage, and electric vehicle charging,” Ms Brinton said.
“As part of our work with Amazon, throughout February we are delighted to offer customers with a valid email or mobile for marketing purposes a single use 10 per cent discount code on a single shopping transaction.”
AGL chief customer officer Melissa Reynolds said the service had great potential for customers.
“We hope to offer our customers ongoing benefits in smart home technologies. Customers tell us they want more control over their energy usage,” Ms Reynolds said.
EnergyAustralia NextGen executive Andrew Perry said the three things people want most from their energy provider are “a fair deal, a hassle-free experience and control”.
“The EnergyAustralia skill for Alexa gives people easy access to every aspect of their energy account,” Mr Perry said.
“Initially customers can stay across the status of their bill and when it’s due with a simple voice command.
“Over time we’ll add services, like the ability to call up data on how much energy a household is using and when.
“It’s information that puts customers in the driver’s seat by helping them manage their energy consumption.”
