Remember that feeling of frustration when your car won’t start? Or a flat tire strands you on the side of the road? Instead of speeding down the highway, you’re digging through the glove compartment or searching online for a tow-truck company. Now, thanks to voice-activated assistant technology, there’s an easier way to get help.

“You just say, ‘Alexa, help me with my flat tire,’” said Beth Davidson (pictured, left), chief marketing officer at Agero Inc., which provides connected vehicle, roadside assistance and claims management services.

Davidson and Raj Behara (pictured, right), vice president and chief technology officer at Agero, spoke with Dave Vellante, host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, during AWS re:Invent. They discussed Agero’s Alexa integrated Blink Roadside Assistance plan. (* Disclosure below.)

AWS cloud provides Agero the ability to help millions of stranded motorists

Each year in the U.S., one in three people need roadside assistance, according to Davidson, which translates to 12 million events per year for Agero.

“And if you like math, it’s 35,000 a day [or] 20 for every minute,” Davidson stated.

Handling that volume in a fast, intuitive manner required more than a standard call center. So, Agero partnered with Amazon Web Services Inc. to create Blink Roadside. The service links insurance companies, tow-trucks and motorists to provide simple and fast nationwide roadside assistance via Alexa voice command.

Drivers can activate Blink Roadside on-demand through Alexa with no signup required — payment is made through Amazon Pay.

“It’s all direct, so you don’t have to worry about an ID number or membership number … it’s just one and done,” Davidson stated. “We know there are consumers out there having those events. We just want to be there for you, take care of that frustrating event and get you back on the road.”

Agero also leverages AWS technologies to provide simple callouts for flat batteries and tires, accident scene management, sending automatic crash notifications, and reminding customers of dealer service appointments.

“We have integrated all of our technologies into the AWS cloud, and we have now revamped and re-innovated on top of those and created new product lines,” Behara said.

The company manages data from its network of insurance companies and B2B clients, plus up-to-date location data streamed from 8,000-plus tow trucks.

“We bring all that information together on the AWS platform, stream it back in a very secure private manner back to the customers, right at the moment of need,” Behara said.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of AWS re:Invent. (* Disclosure: Amazon Web Services Inc. sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither AWS nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE