FOSTER CITY, Calif., June 5, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AVA.ai, the only provider of lead interaction management software driven by artificial intelligence (AI) for sales, marketing, and customer service organizations, today released a white paper explaining why email autoresponders often fall short of expectations when used in marketing campaigns. Autoreponders typically have engagement rates of less than 9 percent, while AI-driven email conversations are far more effective with typical engagement rates of 50 percent or more. More details about effective lead engagement and management are available in the white paper, "Why You Should Stop Using Autoresponders," which can be downloaded at www.ava.ai/ai-lead-management.
An autoresponder is a computer program, usually integrated with a customer relationship management (CRM) application, which automatically generates a pre-configured email response. Initially, autoresponders were limited to "Your email could not be delivered" messages, but their use was soon expanded for email marketing purposes to provide information and follow up at pre-determined time intervals. While autoresponders are useful in customer-care situations - for example, for informing ecommerce buyers of the receipt of their online orders or subscription service requests - their use by sales and marketing organizations to generate and engage leads has mixed results.
Autoresponders were designed for one-way impersonal communication and as a result, messages are nearly impossible to personalize for individual customers. In addition, these messages are often perceived as spam and ignored or automatically deleted by Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
"The Internet sales environment has dramatically changed lead management best practices," said Mark A. Bradley, chief executive officer at AVA.ai. "Success today requires a more personalized approach to engaging prospects than traditional one-way email marketing applications and a more efficient sales team. Artificial intelligence-based systems provide a way to achieve both objectives."
Despite the proven benefits of marketing automation tools like Marketo, Pardot and Eloqua, there remains a clear disconnect between marketing and sales. While using these tools helps marketing meet its goal of providing a larger volume of leads to sales, sales teams still struggle to make contact with, qualify and prioritize these leads. AVA's AI-based platform is unique in that it automates the final stages of the sales cycle - lead contacting, engagement, qualification, nurturing, prioritizing and follow-up - so only pre-qualified hot leads with intent to purchase are handed over to sales. As such, AVA represents the missing piece of a complete lead management solution that works in conjunction with marketing automation and customer relationship management applications.
To highlight the differences between traditional autoresponders and a new era of AI-based lead interaction management systems, AVA.ai has authored a white paper. The paper illustrates how AI technology works to interpret email text from prospects and create natural, appropriate responses and questions that engage the prospect to respond as if conversing with a live personal assistant. The paper also provides examples of how this intelligent lead management approach helps drive more efficient lead qualification, improved sales and higher conversion rates.
The findings of AVA.ai echo the analysis of more than 300 million messages published on marketingcharts.com in October 2013. Marketing Charts reported that the average open rate for the first 2-10 emails in any given autoresponder email cycle was 27 percent, while the average click-through rate (CTR) for the emails was 8.8 percent. In contrast, emails sent by an AI-based lead interaction management system such as the Automated Virtual Assistant (AVA) from AVA.ai will typically achieve engagement rates in excess of 50 percent.
"The emergence of artificial intelligence and advanced text classification software revolutionizes how sales, marketing, and customer service organizations engage and nurture prospects and customers," Bradley said. "Sales teams can significantly boost productivity, sales opportunities, and company revenues in this new era of personalized, automated engagement for lead management."
A complimentary copy of the white paper, "Why You Should Stop Using Autoresponders," can be downloaded at www.ava.ai/ai-lead-management.
About AVA.ai
AVA.ai is the only provider of lead interaction management software driven by artificial intelligence (AI) for sales, marketing and customer service organizations. Presented as a customized online persona, the automated virtual assistant (AVA) engages and nurtures leads through natural email exchanges until lead conversion or opt out. AVA is used by more than 7,500 sales representatives worldwide and as has assisted in the creation of more than US$7.6 billion in sales revenue. Founded in 2007, AVA.ai is now a portfolio company of Kennet Partners and is headquartered in Foster City, California. To learn more, visit ava.ai and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, YouTube and @ava.ai on Twitter.
Contact:
Michael E. Donner
SVP, Chief Marketing Officer
AVA.ai
Phone: +1 (888) 778 1004
michaeld@ava.ai