This sales assistant never calls in sick

Dealer Eddie Stivers owes a debt of gratitude to an Internet sales associate known only as "Eva." Her efforts to engage leads on behalf of Stivers Ford-Lincoln, of Montgomery, Ala., have boosted sales 36 percent on the new-vehicle side and 25 percent on the used-vehicle lot since January 2015. Moreover, Eva never calls in sick, and she is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every single week of the year. In reality, she is an "it" -- a sophisticated piece of technology. Eva is merely the name of the virtual persona Stivers and his team have integrated into their sales process using an artificial intelligence-based sales program known as the Conversica Automated Sales Assistant.