The Swiss Post Explains Why Voice Assistants are Gaining Relevance
Philipp Leuthold • July 31, 2020
Conversational AI at Swiss Post
The Swiss Post is well-known for its Chat option with the PostFinance
chatbot for 24/7 customer support. However, we want to know what are
the upcoming use cases and plans in the fields of Voice user interfaces and how the future services of the Swiss postal services could look like.
Voicetechhub speaks to Philipp Leuthold, Manager Online Channels
@Swiss Post
Tell me about your background, experience and how you got in touch with Conversational Interfaces, i.e. Voice Assistants or Chatbots?
I have been working in the digital team at Swiss Post for several years.
This is where the external digital channels are located, such as the
website, microsites, apps, newsletter system and our basic services e.g.
the central login, location search and much more. New technologies
fascinate me and make my work always exciting. After being involved
in the websites and apps of the Swiss Post, I started getting interested
in voice as a digital channel. First as a private user and then more and
more intensively with the idea in mind of how and what Swiss Post can
offer via this channel. Last year, I had the opportunity to spend several
weeks working intensively on this topic at an innovation camp at
Swissnex in San Francisco. In addition to many user experiences, I was
also able to validate some hypotheses, realize a prototype and develop
a sharpened procedure plan.
What are your experiences with Voice Technologies?
Voice is simple - Voice is fleeting. It is easy to obtain information by voice, to control things in the house and to place highly repetitive orders via good skills/actions. As a user, however, I am usually busy with something else and not just focused on voice interaction. I prefer it if I can already log in and so the skill/action already "knows" who I am, where I live, how I pay and what my preferences are - so interaction with Voice becomes easy and fast for me as a user.
Did you already realized Voice Assistants at Swiss Post?
At Swiss Post we are at the end of the approach phase. Various
departments have already developed prototypes. There are showcases
for the location search of our branches or the parcel pickup service at
the frontdoor (pick@home) where all information is coded, as well as
functional prototypes with connection to backends. For example, our
real estate department has developed a skill for managing coffee
corners to report coffee machine defects or to order cleaning services.
We have also created a skill for consignment tracking, which transmits
live data, here we still have some challenges as it is not really great to
dictate an 18-digit consignment number.
What are the challenges you are facing in your Swiss Post Voice projects?
In the case of new technologies, ideas, prototypes and projects are created in a large company at different locations. In order to bundle synergies and also to achieve a clear orientation of the channel, basic principles must be developed and a competence centre created. As far as the basics are concerned, we are currently in the process of developing a brand strategy for the voice channel and the legal and voice-specific data protection regulations. On the technical side, we are concentrating on being able to combine Swiss Post's login with the voice solutions. This has the advantage for the user that the known user information (name, address, payment method) and the services used (recognized shipments, pick-ups at the front door, etc.) are already "in stock", so that the actual voice interaction can take place easily and in a few steps.
Where do Voice Assistants make sense at Swiss Post?
Voice assistants make sense for Swiss Post where our customers need to
interact with us via voice. Voice assistants are usually found in
the home environment. For this reason, we are concentrating in the first
phase on integrating the Post-Login into the Post-Applicators. This is the
basis for our online services, such as tracking and controlling shipments,
picking up parcels at the front door or configuring existing subscriptions, such as those currently offered by Bread Post – a service where Swiss Post daily delivers fresh bread. With the current basic work, we are laying the foundation for the next steps.
What can we expect in the future from Swiss Post?
Due to the great diversity of Swiss Post, Voice can be expected to be used in many different locations and services. In addition to the obvious end-user offerings, I can also imagine specific solutions in the B2B area:
Laboratory staff who use Voice to order a transport drone so that they do
not have to touch panels etc., or building technicians who use Voice to
locate and rectify malfunctions for our real estate customers. Even in
internal processes, for example in the sorting of parcels and letters, hands are often not free and with voice it is easier to order empty containers. Voice offers the advantages of hands-free and hygienic interaction in many areas.
Philipp Leuthold
Manager Online Channels
Since the first hours of the internet, Philipp has been an innovative e-media communication professional with in-depth experience on a national and international level. He realized successful community launches for various age segments and did relaunch
project management of national web portals (www.sbb.ch, www.post.ch). Also, he realized implementations of mobile applications (mobile web
and apps) and holds many years of practical experience in newsletter creation, web analysis and CMS systems.
He has been working for Swiss Post in the digital sector for 14 years and is currently Product Owner for mobile apps, newsletter system and voice.
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