Now Alexa Can Help You Unclog Your Toilet

Roto-Rooter Helping to Make Smart Speakers Your DIY Plumbing Assistant

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Feb 11, 2020, 10:00 ET

CINCINNATI, Feb. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart speaker devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home are currently found in one in four American homes. Since they are equipped with intelligent personal assistant features, these devices are becoming increasingly capable as people ask them to do more. Sharing recipes, playing music and turning off the living rooms lights are useful features, but thanks to a new partnership with Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Water Cleanup, North America's largest plumbing repair company, smart speakers can also provide step-by-step instructions for fixing common plumbing problems (click for video).

This is the first phase of Roto-Rooter's Voice strategy, which includes several interactive prompts on both devices, which can guide users through DIY tasks or simply summon a Roto-Rooter plumber to solve the customer's problem. To initiate contact with Roto-Rooter on Google Home, say, "Hey Google, talk to Roto-Rooter." On Alexa, say, "Alexa, enable Roto-Rooter." From there, the growing list of command prompts includes: "Hey Google, ask Roto-Rooter for DIY tips;" or "Alexa, ask Roto-Rooter how to fix my backed-up shower drain;" and "Hey Google, ask Roto-Rooter how to unclog my toilet."

Roto-Rooter intends to continually improve and expand its informational offerings on both Google and Amazon devices. "Roto-Rooter's marketing team understands this is yet another way for users to connect with our brand and become familiar with our service offerings, so as early adopters in our industry, we've created these voice skills to fill a void," said Sally Bayer, vice president of marketing at Roto-Rooter. "Nobody knows exactly where this technology will lead, but we know for certain that we want to be at the forefront of anything that pertains to our area of expertise," she added.

Roto-Rooter was established in 1935 and is the largest provider of plumbing repair and sewer & drain cleaning services in North America. Roto-Rooter also provides water damage cleanup services in most of its locations. It operates businesses in 130 company-owned territories and approximately 400 franchise territories, serving approximately 91 percent of the U.S. population and 40% of the Canadian population. Roto-Rooter also has licensed master franchises in the republics of Indonesia and Singapore, and the Philippines. For more information about Roto-Rooter, please visit www.rotorooter.com

Contact: Paul Abrams at Roto-Rooter
Phone: (513) 762-6434
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Roto-Rooter