The rise of virtual assistants in the office

It's been six years since Apple added Siri to iOS and voice became a key way users could interact with technology. In the years since, Google Assistant and Alexa have also established strong footholds as central players in the way we manage myriad services and smart-home devices -- and Cortana has become an integral part of the PC. As much as voice-activated virtual assistants have begun to transform the consumer landscape on devices from smartphones and smartwatches to smart speakers, they have yet to truly break through in the enterprise. That isn't to say we don't already accomplish business tasks using these virtual assistants. Many of us rely on them for quick tasks such as getting directions, scheduling appointments and responding to messages.