Starbucks is taking ordering coffee to the next level as they are now allowing customers to order their lattes via the voice command found on the Starbucks mobile app. But it's not only the app that's getting the voice command, as Amazon's Alexa platform is also getting the voice ordering capability.
In a news release, the voice ordering command of Starbucks is made available to select customers. It is an extension of Starbucks' Mobile Order & Pay, which is a system that allows customers to order and pay for their coffee even before they arrive at the coffee shop.
The customers who can use this feature can order their coffee through the "My Starbucks® barista" as part of an initial feature rollout integrated seamlessly into the Starbucks mobile app for iOS." Gerri Martin-Flickinger, the chief technology officer of Starbucks, said that the new capability reflects the company's sensibility of "personal connection between our barista and customer."
Martin-Flickinger adds that it was also important for them to find a suitable partner in Amazon to test the new capability. She said they are expecting "to learn a lot from these experiences and to evolve them over time."
Starbucks will be launching the "Starbucks Reorder Skill" on the Amazon Alexa platform to allow people to make orders by simply using their voice. GeekWire reported that the new feature has been "quietly rolled out a few weeks ago."
The report also said the partnership between the two companies is notable and they are likely to cross paths again. Starbucks has been increasingly going digital, while Amazon is launching more physical retail stores.
The beta test of the voice ordering capability is available to 1,000 customers in the U.S. The company is also planning to roll out the availability of this capability throughout the summer of 2017.
The voice command is currently available for the Starbucks iOS app, but Starbucks said they are planning an Android version later in the year. Check out the promo video for the "My Starbucks® barista" below.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
