Coldwell Banker Releases Skill for Amazon Alexa to Share Weekly News with Real Estate Community

Coldwell Banker advances its voice control capabilities to connect with agents, brokers and the real estate community

MADISON, N.J., Aug. 1, 2017 -- Voice control is helping agents get smarter about the business of real estate. Today, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC is unveiling its second Skill for Amazon Alexa – the Coldwell Banker Gen Blue News Skill. This Skill was developed to provide the brand's affiliated sales associates and other real estate professionals with the latest company news and real estate industry trends.

By prompting Alexa with, "Alexa, open Gen Blue News," agents will hear the latest Coldwell Banker news and access additional resources through the Alexa app. The first episode of the Skill will be hosted by Brad Inman, founder and owner of Inman News, the preeminent source for real estate trade news. The Gen Blue News skill for Amazon Alexa Skill is targeted towards tech-savvy agents and brokers who consume news on-the-go. The Gen Blue News Skill for Amazon Alexa will be listed under the Business & Finance category in the Alexa Skills Store.

This announcement comes on the heels of the brand's first Skill for Amazon Alexa released earlier this summer which gave users a look into the brand's most exclusive listings via an audio recording.

This second Skill for Amazon Alexa was prompted by a June survey of Coldwell Banker brokers and agents, which found that 79 percent of respondents would be interested in a smart home speaker, like an Amazon Echo device, which was equipped with Coldwell Banker news and insights. The Gen Blue News Skill for Amazon Alexa enhances the Coldwell Banker technology suite, which was unveiled to agents and consumers in May to amplify how the Coldwell Banker brand can uniquely support their buying and selling needs.

"We've heard from agents that they are interested in voice-enabled technology and smart home devices, so we wanted to make sure there was another Coldwell Banker Skill for Amazon Alexa available to help the community keep a pulse on the latest trends and breaking real estate headlines," said David Marine, senior vice president of marketing for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. "We're excited to work with Amazon again to create our second Alexa Skill and expand our tech offerings for agents."

"Having led one of the fastest growing real estate teams within the Coldwell Banker network, I know that agents want a fast and convenient way to stay on top of the latest brand news," Bob Burns, president for Coldwell Banker Mid-America Group, REALTORS® in Des Moines, IA. "The Gen Blue News Skill for Amazon Alexa provides quick and smart real estate insights for agents who are always looking to stay updated on the latest trends."

The Coldwell Banker Gen Blue News Skill for Amazon Alexa is the second Skill by Coldwell Banker, following the recent launch of the Coldwell Banker Home of the Week Skill. The Skill for consumers was prompted by a recent Coldwell banker consumer survey that found 72 percent of Americans with smart home products want voice control.

About Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC

Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker® organization has been a premier provider of full-service residential and commercial real estate brokerage services. Coldwell Banker Real Estate is the oldest national real estate brand and franchisor in the United States, and today has a global network of 3,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 49 countries and territories with more than 88,000 affiliated sales professionals. The Coldwell Banker brand is known for creating innovative consumer services as recently seen by taking a leadership role in the smart home space, being the first national real estate brand with an iPad app, the first to augment its website www.coldwellbanker.com for smart phones, the first to create an iPhone application with international listings, the first to develop an iPad application (CBx) to easily bring big data into home listing presentations, and the first to fully harness the power of video in real estate listings, news and information through its Coldwell Banker On LocationSM YouTube channel. Coldwell Banker is a leader in niche markets such as resort, new homes and luxury properties through its Coldwell Banker Previews International® marketing program delivering exceptional experiences for all consumers served.