With the impressive sales of both the Amazon Echo and Google Home over the past six months, it seems smart speaker technology is here to stay. Owners of this technology are using it to do some pretty cool things like creating a smart home where they can control nearly everything with the use of their voice. Here at NimbleUser, we have been thinking a lot about how this technology could change the association industry. Certainly there are some staff based use cases that come to mind. Imagine giving the staff the ability to query information from Nimble AMS using voice, “Alexa, give me an update on our progress toward our meeting registration goals.” That is certainly cool functionality, but limited in the scope of its impact on your association.
Another scenario could be using smart speakers to allow members to check in at an event, “Alexa, my name is Curtis Banks, check me in to today’s meeting.” We think this technology has great potential and is worth pursuing further. In fact, we are working with one of our customers to explore this very functionality. However, our goal is to push the envelope even a little bit further. We think an important role that will continue to grow for associations in the next several years will be as a content aggregator and source of accurate information. With the increase in unverifiable information readily available online, we think members will be more willing to turn to their association for accurate content. It is a niche associations are uniquely positioned to fill.
Another scenario could be using smart speakers to allow members to check in at an event, “Alexa, my name is Curtis Banks, check me in to today’s meeting.” We think this technology has great potential and is worth pursuing further. In fact, we are working with one of our customers to explore this very functionality. However, our goal is to push the envelope even a little bit further. We think an important role that will continue to grow for associations in the next several years will be as a content aggregator and source of accurate information. With the increase in unverifiable information readily available online, we think members will be more willing to turn to their association for accurate content. It is a niche associations are uniquely positioned to fill.
Smart Speaker Technology Is the Perfect Tool to Position Your Association as a Trusted Source of Information
Imagine a scenario where your members are not thinking about your association like they would at an event. Instead, they are in the comfort of their own home preparing to start their day. As they are getting ready, they want to catch up on what is happening, not just in the world, but in their sphere of influence. Instead of having to search online and narrow the information down to sources they trust, they simply ask their smart speaker, “Hey Alexa, ask ISEN (International Society for the Exceptionally Nimble) what is happening in my industry today.” As you will see from our video, the possibilities of this approach are endless, and integrate your association into your members’ everyday lives. You and you alone are uniquely positioned to do this for a number of reasons:
- You have the industry expertise and access to trusted information
- You can provide access to the communities that interest your members the most
- You can integrate important industry information with ways for your members to take action
- You can eliminate any unnecessary or incorrect information returned in generic searches online
As NimbleUser continues its relentless search for association innovation, we want to help you reimagine the role you play and the way you interact with your constituency.
