In today’s office setting, it is not uncommon to have access to a virtual assistant. What you may not be aware of are the many ways in which Amazon’s Alexa can do much more than being your virtual assistant of choice. Here is a look at the many ways you can improve your productivity and the productivity of others around you by using Alexa.
1 – White Noise
For some, working in an office with a lot of noise is distracting. This is why it can be beneficial to have some kind of white noise in the background to mask those disruptive sounds. Alexa can provide you with a wide range of ambient sounds ranging from gentle tones of water lapping on the shoreline or a spring rain to thunderstorms and much more.
Typically, by default Alexa will play the sound you have chosen for an hour. You can increase the length of time you get to hear a crackling fireplace or hailstorm just by instructing Alexa to “loop on.” By having a soothing or exciting sound filling your cubicle you will be able to relax and focus on the tasks required of you without traffic noise distracting you.
2 – Schedule Appointments
According to Healthcare Weekly, Alexa is far faster than opening any calendar app which means you can make appointments quicker. Once you have connected Alexa to your selected calendar you just have to instruct the program to set the events for you. For example, “Alexa, schedule a lunch meeting with Brenda for Thursday the 5th at 12:15 PM” and it will be scheduled for you.
Not only does that beat having to manually enter the same information yourself, but you can also set appointments while you are doing other things. Not sure what time slots are open on that day? Just ask Alexa and she’ll tell you. A simple verbal request will do such as, “Alexa, what do I have on my calendar for Thursday the 5th?” It couldn’t be any easier.
3 – Put The Sticky Note People Out Of Business
Reminders are always a good idea, especially if you have a hectic business life in the office. You could keep setting them on your phone but Alexa makes creating reminders very easy. This is of particular importance if your life is deadline-driven and you can’t afford to miss any of them. All you do is say, “Alexa, remind me at 3:45 PM to attend a Board meeting.”
When the time comes you will hear a verbal reminder of that meeting. To dismiss it just say, “Alexa, clear my reminder.” If you have items that do not have deadlines you can instruct Alexa to “Remember to finish sales projections” or whatever you need to be reminded of until it is done. Oh, and Alexa likes it if you converse casually as if you were with a friend.
4 – Make Agendas
If you don’t have a to-do list in your cubicle, you must be using Alexa. That’s because Alexa can keep your agendas in order and give you quick and easy access to update, edit and delete any of the items on your list or lists. You just have to link Alexa to the specific list program you are using and say, “Alexa, add dinner with Roxanne to my extracurricular activity list.”
5 – Stay Focused
Everyone needs a brain break after spending an intense morning scrolling through spreadsheets of numbers and assorted files. That’s what Facebook and Instagram were invented for and if your office permits you the opportunity to check out what is happening on your social media feeds, take advantage of it. But use Alexa to set a timer so you don’t kill too much time there.
6 – Make Sales Calls Or Text Messages
Voice calling is another feature that Alexa supports. Once you set it up with Alexa linked to your phone, you can dial hands-free with this command, “Alexa, call Cheryl Foote” or ask her to dial a specific phone number. To send a text message all you need to do is ask Alexa to send a text message to your selected recipient and then dictate the text you want to be sent.
7 – Get A Mental Boost
We all need that ego stroke after hours on the job slowly plodding through that massive stack of stuff in the inbox file. Even if you feel that your efforts are noticed and appreciated you can turn to Alexa to give you that boost to get you through that mid-afternoon crash. Just say, “Alexa, get me up” and she will share several inspirational platitudes to fill you with energy.
8 – Countdown To Retirement
In case you need an extra incentive to get you through another one of those days that just seem to drag on, you can track the time you have left before your projected retirement date. Sure, it may not be overly productive but by asking Alexa to open your retirement countdown you can give yourself a little satisfaction knowing that each day is closer to your final quitting time.
In Conclusion
According to Digital Authority Partners, new technology has introduced many different productivity tools designed to make traditional manual tasks a lot easier to set up and manage. With Amazon’s Alexa, you get a whole lot of those features in a single application. Plus, Alexa can link to most of the other productivity tools you are currently using which makes each of them much more effective.
Where Alexa scores the most points is the personal touch that comes from this unusual but efficient virtual assistant. All you have to do to activate any of the productivity tools is to ask Alexa nicely to open, save, remove, remind or whatever is required of her. She will do precisely as you request and will clarify your request if she doesn’t fully understand the task. You know, much like a human assistant minus the paycheck and expense account. Is Alexa better than a human? That depends on your personal preferences but Alexa does exactly as you wish without much problem.
Susan Paige is a prolific female writer known for her insightful analyses on business news, particularly focusing on the stock market, cryptocurrency, and related topics. With a keen eye for trends and a knack for distilling complex concepts into accessible pieces, she captivates readers with her expertise and clarity.