Hey Siri, what’s the weather like today? OK, Google, set the volume at 5.” Whether it’s an iPhone or a smart speaker, we chat quite a bit with our virtual personal assistants. Siri, Alexa, Cortana and Google, they increasingly take over everyday tasks. Making our life a lot easier and saving time for other things. Do you already use your voice assistant regularly?

Convenience on top

Worldide, more than 500 million people use the assistant of Google every month to change the temperature a few degrees, check the traffic jams or let their appointment know they are on their way. According to the statistics, the use of the virtual personal assistant is mainly of practical reasons:

• Easy when hands or sight is occupied 61%
• Faster result 30%
• Difficult typing on some devices 24%
• Funny/nice/cool feature 22%
• Bypass difficult menus 12%

The virtual assistant in your warehouse

The interaction with machines and devices may now largely rely on manual actions. But the rise of faster processors, Artificial Intelligence and smart software are changing the way we work. Gartner predicts that in 20 years, we will mainly talk to our devices to pick orders. Step by step, the interaction with machines and scanners will be replaced by “voice-enabled” technology. Making paper lists and pressing twice on “next” a thing of the past.

Gartner: “35% of human-machine interfaces will be augmented with voice-enabled technologies, up from less than 5 % in 2018.”

Hey Elevate-IT, where can I find order X?

Voice picking is not a new phenomenon but technological innovations do unlock opportunities for “hands-free” and “eye-free” functionalities that take user interaction to the next level. They offer the possibility to control the operation even smarter through the use of voice instructions.

Together with our partner Honeywell, we continuously work together to optimize our voice picking solution. We thereby ensure a future-proof WMS. Honeywell provides you with superior speech technology.

Paper lists, handheld computers, and scanners are no longer necessary. Voice-enabled technology in the form of a headset communicates directly with your WMS. A simple step that reduces operating costs by eliminating errors and improving employee productivity. Shift after shift. Day after day.

This blog was partly created thanks to Honeywell’s knowledge.