We helped Omaha Steaks build their first-ever Alexa Skill – a custom timer for grilling and searing steaks.

Omaha Steaks is a fifth-generation, privately held, family business that became one of America's largest marketers of beef. Omaha Steaks is justifiably proud of its long history as a pioneer of retail marketing: it was an early adopter of mail order (1950s), websites (mid 90s) and apps (2011). 

As part of its continuing push for better customer engagement, Omaha Steaks hired Matchbox to help create their first voice experience on Alexa. 

Using Alexa-powered Smart Speakers and Smart Displays we created a kitchen assistant that brought the Omaha Steaks sizzle and know-how into the kitchen to guarantee the perfect steak every time. 

Inspired by the popular Cook Timer feature in the Omaha Steaks mobile apps, the Steak Lover's Companion allows users to choose between the two prime cooking methods (pan seared, or grilled), the cut of steak (Ribeye, Top Sirloin, Filet etc), level of "doneness", and critically, the thickness of your meat. 

We then deliver instructions for cooking the perfect steak, based on the user inputs, with the smart device providing a hands-free, voice-controlled step-by-step guide.  

Using Alexa's timers, prompts, reminders alongside expert tips from the Omaha Steaks team, the Steak Lover's Companion ensures the finished product is a cut above, every time.


A
The Author

Andrew Farrell

CEO
Over two decades building and leading multi-skilled teams creating valuable technology products; passionate believer in the power of relationships with people and partners;...
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