ARI to Test Alexa Voice Commands for Fleet Data

ARI will begin testing an Amazon Alexa app that will allow its fleet clients to access their fleet data and the company's web portal with voice commands.

The Mount Laurel, N.J.-based fleet management company unveiled the Alexa app at its annual Best in Fleet conference being held in Miami Beach from Nov. 8 to 10.

The app has been designed by ARI to allow fleet clients to access their data and the ARI insights portal.

"As Alexa, and other technologies like it, creep into more parts of our daily lives, it made sense for us to explore if our clients would benefit from this new way of engaging with ARI, specifically by integrating it with our ARI insights portal," said Don Woods, ARI's director of client information services. "Through the pilot program, we hope to learn more about how people actually want to use the technology in the field and if it creates efficiencies in managing their fleet."

At the launch of the pilot, users will be able to ask Alexa to fetch information related to fuel, accidents, maintenance, downtime and purchase orders. ARI will track queries that are being made to Alexa to see what other data points might be added as they work to develop the technology further.

ARI developers will determine through the pilot program if clients are able to access their information more quickly through Alexa to run their fleets more efficiently. The Alexa technology could also create efficiencies within ARI, because it could reduce the number of phone calls to ARI.

Speakers at the Best in Fleet conference, which is in its second year, include Comcast, MasTec Advanced Technologies and XTO Energy. Keynote speakers include Ted Graham, head of open innovation at General Motors, and NFL star Emmitt Smith.