LivePerson says the solution is the most advanced way for brands to connect conversationally, at scale, with consumers using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, and to deliver:

• The ability to easily switch device or location, by handing off conversations from voice assistants to messaging on a smartphone, taking that same thread "on the go" without losing the flow or context; and
• Access to both bots and human staff in one thread, so any questions too complicated for a bot can be escalated to a human customer service agent, without the frustrating "dead end" effect often found with bots in the past.

According to LivePerson by allowing hand-offs to other devices and combining bots and human staff, LiveEngage for Voice Assistants is far more powerful than earlier solutions, because it puts in-home assistants to work for consumers as part of a wider, continuous connection to the brands they use, from any location, and on the consumer's preferred schedule.

“For example, voice assistant owners can start a conversation hands-free in the kitchen, then move it to their smartphone as they leave the kitchen or house, to continue when it's more convenient,” the vendor says.

"As brands adopt conversational commerce, they need to offer consumers a continuous connection across all the most important conversational channels, and LivePerson is the first company to deliver it. With LiveEngage for Voice Assistants, brands can weave Alexa and Google Assistant into this wider continuous connection, and empower consumers with the ability to get any answer they need, at any time, and from any device," said Robert LoCascio, founder and chief executive of LivePerson.

"With this release, LivePerson is pointing the way to a conversational future that is far better for consumers than today's fragmented mix of phone calls, websites and siloed social touchpoints. We're very excited about it."

Alex Spinelli, global chief technology officer of LivePerson, says, "Alexa and other voice assistants are among the most beloved consumer technologies and increasingly a part of people's everyday lives – in the kitchen, the living room, and beyond.

“What we have delivered with LiveEngage for Voice Assistants is a way to make them even more valuable and seamlessly integrate them with other ways to message with brands, putting the consumer in control and giving them a great experience."