A custom branded skill is another way for people to learn about your brand. Your brand website is usually designed to be visually appealing to visitors so they stay on your site and browse around. Your custom skill should be designed for #VoiceFirst interactions. It is very important to make sure your skill maintains a conversational and voice-friendly flow. Here are some key points to keep in mind when designing and building your custom skill.
Remember, before your skill is submitted to Amazon to be published live in their store, TEST TEST and TEST! Make sure you test your skill from many different conversational flows that it is responding as you desire. Ask friends and colleagues to test as well. This will make sure it flows correctly as well as discover possible conversational gaps.
Your skill should also respond with more information or questions after giving a response. For instance if an alexa user asks for a joke, respond with a joke and also add to the response, something like, have you heard the one about the clowns, or say thanks, I am here all night…making it humorous or informational.
Of course users will try to stump your skill or say something your skill is not prepared, but in those cases have some unknown responses like I am constantly learning new things and that is outside my wheelhouse for now. Maybe add some funny anecdotes or simply list things they can ask. These kind of handler responses will keep your skill being used and possibly being shared among their friends.
You can have similar responses be random responses so that they are hearing different things at different times of using the skill. Or use responses based on the time, like good evening, or have a wonderful afternoon, etc.
If your skill is user-friendly and conversation-ready this should increase people using your skill and sharing it out. The more users you have with a great voice design may get noticed by Amazon’s teams to hi light your skill on their site.
If you have any questions, reach out to us about custom skill design, we would love to discuss your skill design!