TD Ameritrade has revitalized its Amazon Alexa skill, further empowering clients to learn about the markets and place trades on Alexa-enabled devices through voice commands – an industry first.
By asking Alexa, clients can also quickly get answers to market questions, check account balances and history, and get ongoing market updates customized and curated from the TD Ameritrade Network.
TD Ameritrade has long been a leader in giving greater market access to investors; it was the first in the industry to offer trading over the phone, on a desktop, and through a mobile app. Now, the firm is empowering investors to trade using a voice-controlled device.
Technology is impacting consumer behavior and consumers are bringing these expectations to companies like TD Ameritrade in finance and investing. Independent research shows that by 2020, 50 percent of all searches will be voice-activated.2
“Just as smart phones went from novel to necessity over the last decade, voice interfaces like Amazon Alexa are quickly becoming more pervasive as people grow more and more comfortable using them,” explains Sunayna Tuteja, head of strategic partnerships and emerging technologies at TD Ameritrade. “Combining technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and voice user interface (VUI), we continue to find new ways to make personal finance and investing simpler for people.”
“We are continuing to expand our capabilities to ensure that we are meeting investors where they are and through channels they want,” said Vijay Sankaran, chief information officer at TD Ameritrade. “Voice is the future and allowing our clients to access and transact in their accounts through voice-driven devices is part of the natural progression of options for investors. We’re focused on making investing as transparent and seamless as possible, no matter what channel a client engages us on.”
With the addition of account access and trading features, and access to market news and education, clients can enjoy a more in-depth user experience not offered anywhere else in the industry. Clients must visit the Alexa App and enable the "TD Ameritrade skill" to set up a voice code for trading capabilities. Once enabled, clients can say, “Alexa, open TD Ameritrade” to get started.