Are you a slave to the keyboard? Designed for typewriters in the 1800s, the keyboard became a keypad and survived into the age of computers and smartphones. But typing is tiresome and the people have spoken. They want hands-free technology, so they’re talking to digital assistants to save time and improve efficiency.
Out with keyboards, in with voice commands? It won’t happen overnight, but it’s happening. Maybe faster than you think. Just ask Alexa, Siri or one of the dozens of voice-activated devices. People ask to play music, dictate lists, turn out the lights and manage other daily tasks with voice commands. It’s worthwhile to consider the business possibilities.
Nearly half of all adults use voice assistants, mostly on their smartphones. That’s a number not likely to shrink as technology becomes more widely available, and it’s a good reason to consider how you can apply voice technology to run your business more efficiently.
Gordon Food Service is ready with a solution called Gordon Now Voice Assistant. It’s the first digital assistant in the foodservice industry. Built on the Google Assistant platform, it’s ready to help you manage your business wherever and whenever you want. All you have to do is ask a question or give a command:
- Order more tomato sauce.
- Are beef patties on my truck?
- When will my delivery arrive?
- Send a message to my sales rep.
The Gordon Now product line also includes an app and a chatbot (see the bottom right corner of your screen). The downloadable app can send alerts on short ships and out of stocks, plus it provides quick contact info when you need it. The chatbot is available on gfs.com and is there to provide quick assistance when you’re visiting the site, such as live chat with customer support. It’s always learning new ways to help, based on customer questions. It can even tell you a joke or two. Just ask.
“Gordon Now allows us to provide 24/7 support to customers,” says Sara Kwiatkowski, North American Product Manager. “It provides them with an additional way to order products and stay connected with Gordon Food Service—digitally.”
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