What to ask an AI vendor to demonstrate before you buy

Let the vendor give its short overview, then switch to cases your team supplied. A prepared example shows how the product can look. A case the operator has never seen reveals what your staff must do to get a dependable result. Use redacted or invented data and agree on the scope before the demonstration.

Give the operator three related cases

For an agent that prepares customer replies, bring an ordinary request covered by policy, a request with an important missing detail and a request that contradicts the current policy. Ask the operator to handle all three from the point work arrives. Watch where the draft appears, how the reviewer finds the supporting information and whether the case can be completed in the tools your staff already use.

Change one fact after the initial answer. For example, correct the order number or supply a later delivery date. Ask how that correction affects the draft and whether a previously approved reply can still be sent. This reveals how the system handles everyday revisions.

Ask to watch a failed run

Have the provider use a test connection that cannot reach the destination. Who sees the error? What information is available for recovery? Can a reviewer fix that specific item without triggering a second customer message? Ask which actions you can perform yourself and which require the vendor.

Score each case as demonstrated, described or outside scope. Keep the unfinished items beside the quoted price. If a critical capability was described but never shown, make it a named acceptance condition in the proposal. This gives both parties a clear way to decide whether the delivered workflow is ready for real work.

Put this into practice

Bring a sample of the work and the tools your team uses. We can help define a first project, who reviews it, and how to tell if it works.

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