Zammo

Voice Tech Startup Zammo Launches Code-Free Conversational AI Platform

Conversational AI developer Zammo unveiled a new platform for building voice assistants and chatbots without any coding this week. Zammo designed the new platform for companies who want to create virtual assistants on smart speakers, telephone lines, or text message systems without needing experience in software coding.

Visual Voice Design

The idea of the new platform is to expand Zammo’s potential customer base to all of those companies and organizations that want to create a voice assistant but lack the technical talent to code one independently or on an existing service. Zammo’s platform shepherds voice assistant creators from designing the Q&A for their virtual assistant, all the way through publishing and testing voice apps for Alexa and Google Assistant and chatbots embedded in websites or Facebook Messenger. Companies aren’t limited to certain platforms, they can publish the AI on whichever platforms they choose. The virtual assistants are customized based on industry as well as the specifics of the business, to better prompt the right responses to inquiries. The voice assistants also offer accessibility features to make sure Zammo’s clients and their customers can get the information they are seeking. All of the data on how the virtual assistant is used on every channel where it is published are collated and analyzed by Zammo to provide insights to its customers.

“Voice-enabled communication is better for everyone. Not only is it more efficient for the business, but it also makes information more accessible, creating a more inclusive society,” Zammo CEO Alex Farr said. “Until now, the problem has been how to get businesses there. Zammo makes conversational AI a reality for all organizations.”

Complex Conversations

Zammo, which recently earned the Project Voice Award for Microsoft AI Use Case of the Year, has been on the rise for a while now. Snohomish County in Washington State created a vital COVID-19 informational chatbot on Zammo’s platform last year, the first of several to appear during the pandemic. The new platform works as a response to the requests from some of Zammo’s new clients in recent months. The launch also comes just a few months after venture capital firm Drads Capital led a funding round for Zammo for an undisclosed sum.

Though Zammo has some unique elements, the obvious value of low-code and no-code virtual assistant platforms has generated some rivals it will need to stand out from when soliciting clients. The Alexa Knowledge Skills feature is for businesses who want a voice assistant for internal use without coding. A simple spreadsheet enables a business to augment Alexa with information about their organization, from building directories to product catalogs. The employees can then ask Alexa on a mobile device or smart speaker tied to the office for that data without the need to invoke a specific Alexa skill. Google chose a different route for its Template Actions for Google Assistant feature. The tech giant opted to end direct support for the low-code Google Assistant Action builder, choosing to make the tech open-source as it tightened the rules on publishing Google Actions. As Voicebot founder Bret Kinsella has previously pointed out, however, Google’s decision doesn’t detract from the no-code concept’s value.

“We have already seen no-code solutions come and go in the market,” Kinsella said. “As this market shifts (which is occurring now) some will find their best path for success doesn’t align with their no-code customers. No-code can save cost and increase speed, but that comes at the cost of customization limitations and going-concern risk. For many, that trade-off is worth it at least in the short-term and I suspect the value of low cost and speed is high enough is worth the risk.”

  

Amazon Opens Alexa Knowledge Skills for Developers to Embed Business Info Without Skill Invocation

Nuance Releases New Enterprise Conversational AI Toolkit 

All of the Project Voice 2021 Award Winners