Virtual Smart Agent and The Rise of Chat Software

Posted on April 10, 2008
Filed Under Advertising & Marketing, Software, Technology and Web 2.0, Web Site Promotion

If you're new here, join the community by subscribing to my RSS feed. Enter your name and email address to the form located at the top of each blog page for email updates. Glad to have your onboard!

If you viewed some sales pages lately you may have come across a virtual agent window which pops up ONLY if you click away from the sales page. I must admit the first time I came across one of these ‘Virtual Agents’ I assumed it was a LIVE AGENT that I could have a text chat with. However it soon became apparent that the whole chat conversation was scripted after I entered random questions and gibberish. Now that could confuse and annoy people and defeat the whole purpose of good customer relations.

So What is a ‘Virtual Agent”?

Simply put a virtual agent is an automated chat solution for your web site.

I don’t have any personal qualms on the service but I do believe the fatal flaw is that
visitors expect to know whether they are interacting with a REAL PERSON and can easily istake the automated software to be a live customer service representative.

You could argue that UpSell is another innovative business idea from Mike Filesaime as it has proven to increase conversion rates for clients. Upsell is aimed at closing sales where people are about to click away from the sales page without making a purchase and can save lost sales by offering a time sensitive discount. It must be working well for some Internet marketers because closing lost sales is a bonus to their business. The service is completely free of monthly charges or upfront fees. All that is required is that you need to have an existing sales revenue of at least 50 sales per month to be eligible for the service. Clients agree to provide UpSell with commissions on each sale made so there are no up front costs.

Most people are familiar with regular Chat Support where a LIVE AGENT conducts a text based messaging system in real time so that you can ask questions and get immediate feedback and response. Examples can be found Volusion.com where you can test run the software for free using the trial before deciding whether to upgrade.

Virtual Smart Agent

A new launch from David Guindon aptly name ‘Virtual Smart Assistant’ at first appears to be similar to Mike Filesaime’s UpSell service but the visitor is fully aware that the Virtual Assistant is not a live agent so there are no surprises. You purchase the software to install on your web site and do not have any monthly commissions or monthly fees whatsoever and no sales minimums. So from a cost perspective this option could be right for you.

Advantages of Virtual Agents

Closes sales where people would not have made a purchase
Gather feedback from visitors as to why they decided not to buy
Can help to improve conversion rates
Helps you to establish where to make improvements to your sales page
Customers can get a special discount or deal
Set it up to build your opt-in list even if people still do not buy

Disadvantages of Virtual Agents

People want to communicate with real people not scripts
May alienate your visitors who may feel cheated that they could have lost out on a discount if they bought straight away ( buyers wouldn’t be aware of this unless they returned to the site)
May annoy people who do not like technology resembling pop ups

If I had to choose I would go for live chat assistance because customer service is a key area of business that cannot be compromised. People want to interact with people first and foremost. The only way to find out if a virtual chat agent would be of benefit to you and your business is to test out the software and split test your results. Remember that the primary objective of a virtual assistant is to close sales or set it up to build your opt-in list. It should not be used as a substitute for your customer service enquiries.

I do like the concept but would not be tempted to use it for my own needs. There could be good use for it on large commercial web site’s to get people to take up a trial offers, especially if the trial is free.

It would be interesting to get feedback from people who are currently using virtual chat agents on their web site. Are you using a virtual agent on your site?

If you want to share your own experience as a customer or webmaster please feel free to add your coments. You may also want to read what Rosalind Gardner wrote about on the subject of virtual agents.

Share and Bookmark:

Comments

4 Responses to “Virtual Smart Agent and The Rise of Chat Software”

Pat Jefferson on April 13th, 2008 7:22 am

Nice post! Do you have a bonus for virtual smart agent? I’m looking for a better bon us than this one: http://www.smartvirtualagent.com/bonus.html

Pat
Nancy P Redford on April 13th, 2008 10:11 am

Hi Pat,

I am not an affiliate of any of these products. Instead I thought it would be important to write up about this the virtual agent software for people to get an idea of what it does and decide for themselves whether to purchase or not.

I’m sure there are other marketers with bonuses out there but I do not personal know of any.

The link you provided seems generous enough.

Good luck,

Nancy
David Mira Vista on July 18th, 2008 12:05 am

You can also look at a solution called moxiechat.com or if you are big enough you can also check out upsellit.com which provides a full service solution
Nancy P Redford on July 26th, 2008 6:19 am

Great links David

Nancy