Multiple Alexa skills utilize the feature of requesting customer contact information permissions for better usability and navigation. This article details the best practices for you as a developer when implementing the same.
Let’s start with an example of a good user experience:
User: Alexa, open bigg basket and take down my order
Skill: To take down your order, bigg basket will need access to your email address and phone number. Go to the home screen in your Alexa app and grant permissions.
The skill directs the user to update the user information to complete the user request and provides help on where to update the information. This is a good user experience.
Let’s have a look at another example.
User: Alexa, open Urban workforce and get me a plumber.
Skill: This request could not be completed due to pending permissions.
This is a bad user experience as the skill does not inform the users about how to provide the permissions requested by the skill/ why skill requires the permissions. It also provides no help on how to complete these permissions. For display devices, apart from the two points called out previously, the skill should also provide permissions card on either the home page of companion app or to the screen.
How to ensure a seamless customer contact information permission experience for the user:
- You should ensure that a relevant Permissions card for requesting customer consent is provided.
- There should be a Fallback message when customer doesn't grant consent to requested permissions
Below is a quick checklist on customer contact information permissions:
- Skill should inform the users about how to provide the permissions requested by the skill/ why skill requires the permissions.
- Skill should provide instructions on how to provide these permissions.
- For display devices, apart from the two points called out previously, the skill should also provide permissions card on either the home page of companion app or to the screen.
- Relevant Permissions card for requesting customer consent should be provided.
- There should be a Fallback message when customer doesn't grant consent to requested permissions.
Happy Skill Building!
