Voice interfaces are here to stay. It is increasingly common for us to ask Siri for the weather forecast, ask Google to set the alarm or Alexa to read the news. We have these apps on our mobiles, smartwatches, tablets... and also in different corners of our homes.

This trend is growing and, for this reason, many companies have started to use these interfaces to open up new ways of relating with their customers. This is the case of MAPFRE's Digital Transformation Area, which decided to bring its car insurance information to devices compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant.

Unifying systems through Dialogflow

MAPFRE had a Proof of Concept (PoC) for an Alexa Skill made by a technology provider that never went live. But after the launch of our platform for creating corporate chatbots, the Digital Transformation Area took up the project again. The idea was to take advantage of the new infrastructure based on Dialogflow to bring the skill to the Google environment and thus double the possibilities of the work developed. In this way, the information would not only be available on Amazon devices but also on all those compatible with Google Assistant.

MAPFRE's objective in developing the platform was to centralize all the virtual assistant projects that will be developed in the company for its multiple markets and divisions. And not only the current ones but also other conversational projects that may arise in the future.

With the implementation of this new functionality, the chatbots platform also became the entry interface for the Action on Google and the Alexa skill. With this, the company not only gains homogeneity in its voice and AI channels, but also optimizes any development in terms of technology and infrastructure.

Infrastructure that makes iteration easier

The initial technological challenge of the project was porting the native skill to the Dialogflow infrastructure. The team designed an automatic data conversions system, such as training sentences from Alexa to Dialogflow, which saved a significant amount of work and time.

Most of the work focused on moving the skill logic to Dialogflow archetypes, not only transferring the code from one platform to another but extending its functionality concerning the new requirements of the project. For example, in terms of the visual adaptation of information, the skill is now available for Alexa devices with a display screen. A commendable work in UI/UX development that was very well received by MAPFRE.

In future project iterations, the infrastructure developed will allow for the simple addition of new operational use cases that go beyond the information functionality.

Accessible information for the whole population

One of the main characteristics of this project is its accessibility. This new channel facilitates the company's relationship with the Millennial public, accustomed to using this type of device and interface. It is also a much more accessible means of contact for certain segments of the population, such as the elderly or those with some kind of disability.

For its launch, MAPFRE selected use cases on its car insurance, thus facilitating the contracting process for potential customers. It also included information on the advantages for the insured vehicle, as well as the benefits of its customer loyalty program "MAPFRE Te cuidamos" (MAPFRE takes care of you). In addition, the Google Assistant app for smartphones can be used to open the company's website.

In the first month alone, more than 5,600 messages were managed with an average success rate of 96.14% on both platforms (Alexa and Google Assistant). Another relevant figure was the average response time, which stood at 16 seconds.