Echo dot gizmo

Sporky · December 2018

Still pretty sure you meant stethoscopes.

ewal · December 2018

Please don't humanize it by referring to it as Alexa. My mum gets offended... It's an Amazon smart sales device. At least the equivalent Google gadget just goes by the name Google...

thecolourbox · December 2018

ewal said:

I work for a Council IT service. Some bright spark has decided we should develop an Alexa skill which allows citizens to ask what the Council office hours are, school holidays etc, the business case being to "reduce avoidable contact". What utter bollocks! The effort required to build and train the skill, especially for it to have sufficient knowledge to be useful is very significant. Add to that the proprietary nature of the development environment meaning that the AI is not re-usable, the still very limited market share (in comparison to a plain old web browser), and the fact we are effectively freely promoting Amazon by offering an Alexa skill - it appears to me to be a huge waste of time and resources.I think we should focus our time and effort on tried and tested communications channels instead.

However, I am ignored when I voice these concerns... I've reached the conclusion that all we care about is looking innovative to our peers rather than actually providing a useful service. A vanity project... All style over substance... Digital transformation in a nutshell...

Whatever happened to common sense? I think I'm getting too old and grumpy to do this job...

Probably that but also there is a big trend of late especially with authorities but also with other big organisations to make themselves uncontactable so as to be able to ignore people and just impress what they want instead.

I always hold up British Gas as the milestone for this kind of thing, and they do this too - automated lines which don't have the option you want, then when you are trying to book a boiler service you can't because you don't have a Home care customer number, because you are not yet a customer hence why you are calling. So in the end you give up and try to email about it off the website. When that doesn't work either you give up and then a text message appears - do you want to talk to us about a boiler service? Text yes if so. Of course I bloody do!!! So I text yes. I miss the call back due to life happening. I curse, I try to ring back. Hello, this is British Gas, we tried to call you but it's not urgent. Goodbye. Yes it is urgent I needed a boiler service two weeks ago!!!!

Oppress the people, then give them stuff you want them to have as it's for your benefit, humanise it, then skin them alive for it.

It should be the job of the job of the shepherd to watch over his sheep, not slaughter them

ewal · December 2018

I am forever reminding my colleagues that we are a public service not an online company. Therefore we can't just close contact channels without first carefully assessing impact on service users.

Quite ironic that me as the manager responsible for online services is such a neo-luddite...

NelsonP · December 2018

JezWynd said:

I wouldn't want something in my house that is constantly listening (even if it's only for me to say 'Alexa'). Scary devices.

If Alexa is listening to what goes on in my house then she will come to the conclusion that what I really need is some peace and quiet. And if they figure out a way to 'monetise' that then I will happily pay!

axisus · December 2018

I don't even know what we are talking about here.

I presume it's one of those strange things whereby we pay money to assist someone in knowing all about or lives and everything we do.

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