She’s efficient, works all hours without complaining — even holidays, if necessary — and never takes a lunch break.
She’s cheap labor and never asks for a raise. But she’s one office receptionist who won’t bring you a cup of coffee while you’re waiting.
Meet ALICE.
ALICE — short for A Live Interactive Customer Experience — was devised by WinTech LLC, a Las Vegas-based software company.
“We’ve got about 25 systems out right now, and we just started our marketing,” said Mike Yoder, chief technology officer for WinTech.
Here’s how it works: When customers enter an office, they’re spotted by motion-detection sensors that activate ALICE’s program. From a kiosk or flat-screen monitor, ALICE gives her prerecorded greeting.
Depending on how the system is set up, customers can be prompted to push a touch-screen button to make direct contact to the person they seek. The system also can be set so that callers can be welcomed by any employee.
The communication between an employee and customers is through common two-way chat telecommunication between computer screens.
“It’s technology with a human touch,” Yoder said.
Yoder said the system was in development for two years to make sure it operated perfectly before beginning online sales.
ALICE was designed with tightened corporate budgets in mind, Yoder said. A company no longer needs a receptionist with the system in place, and resources dedicated to sustaining that position can be used elsewhere.
Yoder said a low-end system would cost about $5,000, including installation and training, and buyers can recoup the investment in three to four months.
He says ALICE can be incorporated into any digital office telephone communication system. It takes less than an hour to install and train employees to use.
WinTech is marketing the system through Internet sales, and the company recently launched a nationwide online contest to win an ALICE system.
The contest runs through May 31 at www.whosalice.com. The site also includes a promotional video, “Who’s Alice?” in which a female office worker struggles to understand why her male co-workers are so excited about “Alice,” the newest addition to the office.