An office in Douglas County’s government has a new assistant … a digital assistant. The office has installed an Amazon Echo to answer basic questions.
Kent Brown, in the Douglas County Register of Deeds office, proposed installing the Echo after using a similar smart speaker at home. Brown says it’s programmed to answer 50 common customer questions, such as the costs of documents and services.
“This could help, if all the employees are busy or we’re recording something while the customer’s standing here waiting," he says. "They can hopefully answer some of their own questions.”
The Echo isn’t replacing any staff. It’s being added as a convenience. If it turns out to be useful, similar devices could pop up in other county offices.
Stephen Koranda has more: