Ask your Breckland Assistant - Alexa Skill

Breckland Council has created an Alexa Skill called Breckland Council Skill. It can be used on your smart devices that are Alexa enabled.

Your Breckland Assistant has been designed as another channel to help our residents find information and keep up to date with all things relating to the Breckland area.

Your Breckland Assistant "Skill" can help you to...

• Contact our housing team for Housing advice and information.
• Report issues in your local area such as a faulty streetlight.
• Find out your next bin collection day.
• Register for Council tax and much, much more!

To access this service, you will need:

• An Amazon account.
• A smartphone/tablet or an Amazon Alexa device

You can enable Breckland Council Skill using the free download from Amazon (opens new window)

Breckland Council's Customer Service Centre Privacy Notice. and Terms and Conditions.

We value your feedback and suggestions as to how we can improve this service, please email chatbot@breckland.gov.uk

Step one: Open up the Alexa app on your smart device. 

Step two: Navigate to the 'More' option in the bottom toolbar.

Step three: Select the 'Skills & Games' option in the list. This is where you can manage the skills installed on your Alexa device and install new skills.

Step four: Select the 'Search' icon in the top-right corner of your screen. This may appear differently depending on your device.

Step five: Search for Breckland Council in this menu, the skill should appear following a short search.

Step six: The Skill should appear and be the first option in the list. Please press the skill name 'Breckland Council Skill'

Step seven: Select the Launch option on this screen. This should tie the skill to your amazon account, and allow it to be accessible from Alexa devices linked to your account

Step eight: The Skill should ask for permissions. This is necessary for full functionality of the skill and is used to determine address information for the waste and location information provided by the skill.

Please note, if you move address or change the address your Alexa device is at, please check and update each of your devices.

For the Breckland Assistant to be able to advise you of your bin collection day, your device address must match exactly the address on My Breckland. To do this you will need to change your device location setting.

To check or change the location address please see the guide below.

Step nine: If you'd like to launch the skill now, you can select the device you'd like to try and press the launch button.

Step ten: To familiarise yourself and open the Breckland Assistant skill in the Alexa app, you MUST say:

Alexa open Breckland Assistant...

Then try asking these questions:

Alexa, when will my bins be collected?

Alexa, how do I pay for my Garden waste service?

Alexa, how can I contact Breckland Council?

Alexa, how do I tell Breckland Council I am moving?

Alexa, how do I report that my bin hasn't been collected?

Alexa, where is my nearest recycle centre?

Alexa, are there any issues with my bin collection today?

Alexa, how can I get housing advice?

If you have any issues with the initial set up please contact our team by emailing chatbot@breckland.gov.uk and we will be happy to help you. 

We value your feedback and suggestions as to how we can improve this service, please email chatbot@breckland.gov.uk

Step one: open the Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet, and go to 'More'

Step two: go to 'Settings' then 'Device Settings'

Step three: you will see a list of all of your devices, click on the device you want to check the location on

Step four: You will either see an address under 'Device location' or if nothing under 'Device location' then it is not linked to an address

Step five: To add or change your address, please click on 'Device location' then the 'Change' button. Go through the process of inputting the correct address and save.

Step six: Repeat this process for all devices

Please ensure the address you use in Alexa matches your address in My Breckland

We value your feedback and suggestions as to how we can improve this service, please email chatbot@breckland.gov.uk