On the web you can break customers into three categories: those that will never buy, those that are going to buy, and those who would buy if you could interact with them more. Forget about the first two groups, as they can't or don't need to be sold. However, that last group is ripe to buy your product – you just need to interact with them. They need to hear more about how your products and services relate to them. They have questions. They have concerns. And they want to know more. These are the people who you can reach through a virtual agent.

What's a virtual agent? A virtual agent is an intelligent web robot that can interact with a customer, answer their questions, and guide them through the sales process in an automated way. Similar to the way a company can pop-up a live chat window with a human salesperson, that chat can instead be with a virtual agent, who can ask if a customer needs assistance and then help them throughout the sales process. Unlike humans though, there is no limit to how many customers can be serviced by a virtual agent—you don't need to pay the virtual agent a salary or benefits. Most important, a virtual agent allows customers to be self-reliant, but get assistance when they need it and at a pace they are comfortable with. In fact, a recent report from Forrester Research titled "It's Time to Give Virtual Agents Another Look" indicated that "….only 28 percent of U.S. online consumers prefer to contact companies via telephone or email rather than using a company's website to get answers to their questions." Customers, especially younger ones, prefer to take care of themselves.

People are getting more and more comfortable interacting with companies via the web. It is quickly becoming the preferred channel for most customers. Why is this? In large part, it's because the web enables a customer to take their time, look around, and interact in a way they are comfortable with (i.e., control their own sales process). Yet, when prospects have questions on a website they then find themselves at a critical sales juncture. Do they engage with a human (via email or live chat or phone) or do they just keep their question to themselves and leave the site? Too often the answer is the latter.