If you haven’t seen an Amazon Echo commercial where someone calls out “Alexa” in the last year, you are among the few. According to a recent study by NPR and Edison research, one in six Americans, or around 39 million people, have a smart home speaker — and the Amazon Echo leads all of these sales.

Want to build a bridge to your business sales?
Even the simple Alexa app is a skill set. ANY skill that you acquire will make you more savvy in business. Usually apps are talked about so often and in so many ways — that even knowledge of a simple app can boost your sales.

Most apps can be downloaded onto the device of your choice by voice command. This includes the apps on your phone, or the website. With so many people using Alexa — your business might consider adding an app or skill, not just for boosting sales, but for branding and awareness.

Types of skills.
It is claimed that the Amazon Echo is compatible with around 30,000 different skills. A few of Alexa’s most popular skills for business include the conference manager, email assistant, and quick events. These skills are designed to make everyday office tasks more manageable. Alexa can go through your calendar and find the number to dial into your conference calls, look through your inbox to give you details about travel information, and even help you schedule events.

Why build app skills?
Here are some reasons you should build a skill for your business now:

Voice is not only the future — it’s now.
According to Google, around 20 percent of mobile searches in apps are conducted through the voice command feature. People are more likely to ask Siri or their smart speaker before they pull out their phone and start typing a question online. As voice recognition continues to grow apps will becomes more intelligent, and your team will need to understand how this skill-set fits into business and life.

Get ahead.
Many times businesses are too scared to lead in new technology because they are afraid to put the time in effort into something that has no guarantee to work and save. We all remember this being the case with having your mobile optimized just a couple of years ago.

Voice search isn’t going anywhere. It’s better to be on the front end of mobile — or any skillset than be left behind. It will be beneficial to you to get app users loving your app and building their skills before the rest of your competitors figures the benefits out and your app becomes obsolete.

Currently — many apps are free.
Many experts assume that as smart speakers become more and more popular, businesses may have to pay more. And what about skillsets? To be sure, learning how to be placed higher than others on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) there is a lot of speciality knowledge that has to be used.

Some people predict that the future is for those who keep building their skillsets. You can’t afford not to do this. If someone asks a question pertaining to your skill, apps and devices will always need some skillsets for usability. Your employees and customers may as well be using yours.

Publicity.
Getting your name out there is one of the hardest but most beneficial things you can do for your business. People can hear about your app and interact with you and your brand. Marketers agree that word of mouth can be one of the best ways to get traffic to your website or through your doors. Your app that can be used by voice is one way to get people to talk about you — literally.

Authority.
Having authority and a skillset gives you instant credibility as a brand they can trust. Make your app user friendly and well-established enough that people don’t have to have a degree to learn how to use it. You must be serious about your business, your brand, and your products or services.

How to build a skill.
Depending on the size of your company, your IT team may be able to build your apps for you to do similar tasks, or you can hire an outside organization to do so.

Building an app takes time and is an investment. Don’t create an app just because it is the trendy thing to do. Instead, make an app that starts with the consumer, the customer and your employee’s needs.

Also consider who is in your company and how your employees will best be served by an app. It’s better not to have an app at all — than to have an app that isn’t functional or an app that is very difficult to use or doesn’t really contribute at all.