In this episode, Teri welcomes Bon Stolzberg of VoiceXP, a software-as-a-service company. We talk about building Alexa skills, what a successful skill is, and how to get into voice technology, among many other topics.

Welcome Bob Stolzberg from VoiceXP!

In January 2017, Bob and his partners launched VoiceXP. The company had an auspicious beginning: it had its first client before it was even incorporated. And it has only snowballed since then. In less than two years, VoiceXP has partnered with Amazon, Hallmark, CenturyLink and TiVo, to name a few. Bob decided to take the leap into voice after he saw his children do something he himself had done as a child: replace technology for something better. In his day, Bob had stopped using the TV for a computer and now his children were dropping their tablets for smart speakers.

Why did you decide to make the leap to voice technology?

“This is the next frontier.”

Bob believes voice is the next major disruption in human behaviour. He said he made the leap for two reasons: One, after seeing his kids change their behaviours and get their information and entertainment from Alexa; and two, when he started to think about how this could help him and his customers day-to-day. The clinching moment came when he had a opportunity fall into his lap. The CEO of a company his was working for at the time wanted to have an Echo onstage at a sales kickoff. At that moment, Bob saw all the different possibilities out there. Bob remembers thinking “this is the next frontier.” It was an easier way to get information and he already had a customer that was willing to pay for it. VoiceXP was incorporated on January 21st and on February 12th he and his partners had closed their first deal.

Can you tell us a little bit about some of those first skills that VoiceXP developed? What were those like?

Bob admits that the first year, and even to this day, it has all been about exploration and about practice. According to Bob, you have to have consistent repeated use-cases to get really good at it. Some of the earlier skills were more informational without a lot of complexity behind them, a one-way kind of transaction where you ask you a question and you get a response. More complex skills require multi-modal channels, being able to access other databases through APIs.

Are there any skills that have struck you as being really innovative or really creative?

Bob says last year he and his VoiceXP team pioneered the first Black Friday skills so brands could build their Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions into an Alexa skill instead of a circular. They also created the first Platinum Recording Artist skill. Bob believes all musicians and artists in the future will need to have their own voice experience because it’s an extension of their art and their personality. More recently, Bob says, they launched a skill with Mercy Health Care in Missouri. They created a skill that allows people to find a doctor and schedule an appointment, while meeting HIPAA and PHI compliance.

What’s the first step you would suggest to people who want to get into voice but are not programmers?

You have to start by knowing yourself and finding your passion, Bob says. According to Bob, you do not have to be a developer to be a leader in voice. You only need to figure out where your passion and talent can be applied. With so many different hats you can wear, Bob reminds us, it’s about finding where your talents can be applied, be it in writing, designing, managing, etc. You just have to start doing what you think is a good fit for you and learn from there.

List of resources mentioned in this episode:

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