Request Permission and Access Contact Information with the New Customer Profile API

BJ Haberkorn Jul 31, 2018
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We are excited to announce that you can now request customer permission to access customer contact information using the Customer Profile API. Once a customer consents, you can access certain contact information in their customer profile, and use it to deliver a more personalized experience and provide additional information to your customers. For example, you can use the customer name to make a reservation on the customer’s behalf, and then email a confirmation. Or, you could text or email additional information not easily provided via Alexa when a customer requests it. By querying the customer profile instead of collecting contact information via account linking or voice query, you can simplify your development and streamline the experience for your customers.

Send More Information Efficiently Using Contact Information

You can configure your skill to request permission to use contact information when it is enabled, or you can display a special permissions card to ask customers for consent dynamically. You can request access to the following pieces of information:

  • Full Name
  • Given Name (First Name)
  • Email Address
  • Mobile Number

Once a customer grants permission, you can use their contact information for any purpose that meets our requirements for protecting customer information. 

Skills from SnapTravel, KptnCook Recipes, and Thalia Buch-Tipps already take advantage of this new capability:

  • SnapTravel sends short message service (SMS) messages to the customer's mobile number to enable confirmation of travel arrangements.
  • KptnCook Recipes and Thalia Buch-Tipps deliver new recipes and  detailed book recommendations, respectively, via email.

SnapTravel allows customers to find and book the perfect hotel over conversational interfaces. "We are really excited to use the Customer Profile API as it enables us to build a frictionless experience. Customers can begin their hotel booking journey over voice using Amazon Alexa, and receive a link on their phone over SMS to complete the booking," says Hussein Fazal, Co-Founder & CEO, SnapTravel.

Replace or Augment Your Existing Customer Contact Mechanisms

You can find complete information on how to request permission to access contact details using the Customer Profile API in our documentation. If you currently collect this information using a voice query and slots, consider using the Customer Profile API instead in order to achieve higher accuracy and a simpler dialogue flow for customers. If you currently use account linking solely to capture this information, consider using the Customer Profile API instead to eliminate the need to for new customers to link accounts. You can also consider asking your existing customers to grant you permission to access contact information and eliminating the need to maintain your own account pool.

Build Skills, Earn Developer Perks

Bring your big idea to life with Alexa and earn perks through our milestone-based developer promotion. US developers, publish your first Alexa skill and earn a custom Alexa developer t-shirt. Publish a skill for Alexa-enabled devices with screens and earn an Echo Spot. Publish a skill using the Gadgets Skill API and earn a 2-pack of Echo Buttons. If you're not in the US, check out our promotions in Canada, the UK, Germany, Japan, France, Australia, and India. Learn more about our promotion and start building today.