Tarleton Students Win Intuit Challenge
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 3, 2018
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — A team of Tarleton State University computer science majors, led by department head Dr. Mircea Agapie, celebrated Earth Day in April by capturing first place in the Intuit Challenge — part of EarthXHack in Dallas.
The Tarleton team — Brandon Jurado, Armando Soriano, Preston Ward and Michael Osei — met Intuit’s challenge calling for an automated solution to have customer questions answered without call support.
“We created an Amazon Alexa skill in which you can communicate with Alexa and ask her questions signaling that you want her to look in Intuit’s knowledge base,” Ward said.
The team’s solution would decrease Intuit’s help-desk call volume and keep customers from interrupting their individual workflows by using the voice-activated Alexa for real-time answers.
The solution, devised by Jurado, Soriano, Ward and Osei, also proposed an option to submit queries to the company’s knowledge base and have an Intuit employee follow up with an answer.
As winners of the Earth Day competition, members of the Tarleton team received an Amazon Echo Show and an invitation to attend the company’s “members-only” Innovation Day.
Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience, marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. Offering degree programs in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online to more than 13,000 students, Tarleton engages with communities through real-world learning experiences to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.
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Contact: Phil Riddle, News & Information Specialist
817-484-4415
priddle@tarleton.edu
