AI Agent Demo Checklist 2026: 50 Critical Questions
Checklist Categories
Core Capabilities (10 Questions)
- Does the agent handle your primary use case (ask for live demo with similar scenario)?
- What's the accuracy rate on your type of task (get hard numbers, ask for proof)?
- How does the agent handle edge cases or unusual inputs?
- What are the known limitations (ask for honest answer)?
- How frequently are models updated (impacts performance & security)?
- Can the agent learn from your feedback (continuous improvement)?
- What's the SLA for response time (critical for time-sensitive use cases)?
- Does it work offline or does it require internet connectivity?
- How does it handle multi-language input (if relevant)?
- Can you customize the output format (CSV, JSON, specific structure)?
Integration & Data Flow (8 Questions)
- Does it integrate with your existing tools (Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, etc.)?
- What's the API rate limit and pricing for overage?
- How long does onboarding and initial integration take?
- Can you export all your data if you switch vendors (data portability)?
- How does it handle large file uploads (size limits)?
- Does it support batch processing (upload 1,000 records at once)?
- What's the latency for API calls (milliseconds)?
- Is there a webhook or real-time notification system?
Security & Compliance (10 Questions)
- Is your data encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest?
- Do you have SOC 2 Type II certification (ask to see report)?
- Where are data centers located (relevant for data residency requirements)?
- Do you use customer data to train your models (must be NO)?
- What's your incident response policy (breaches, data loss)?
- Do you offer SSO and SAML integration (critical for enterprises)?
- What's your DPA (Data Processing Agreement) template like?
- Do you support role-based access control and audit logs?
- What's your data retention policy (can we delete data after 30 days)?
- Have you passed a security audit by a third party (ask for references)?
Support & Onboarding (8 Questions)
- What's your typical response time for support tickets (expect <4 hours for critical)?
- Do you offer dedicated implementation support (critical for $20K+ deals)?
- What training does your team provide to our staff?
- Is there a customer success manager assigned to our account?
- What's your documentation quality (ask to see example)?
- Do you offer video training or webinars?
- What's your uptime SLA (target 99.9%)?
- How often do you release updates (ask for roadmap)?
Pricing & Contracts (7 Questions)
- What's your standard pricing model (per-user, per-transaction, usage-based)?
- Are there overage charges (usage beyond plan limit)?
- What discounts are available for multi-year commitments (usually 15-30%)?
- Can we scale users up/down monthly or are there minimums?
- What's included in support (updates, security patches, onboarding)?
- What are your typical contract terms (1-year, 3-year)?
- Can we get a month-to-month pilot agreement before committing (critical)?
Customer References (7 Questions)
Ask for 3-5 customer references in your industry/use case. Call them and ask:
- Did the agent meet your requirements? Any gaps?
- What was your implementation timeline (compare to vendor estimate)?
- How's customer support quality (follow through on issues)?
- What's the adoption rate among your teams (are people actually using it)?
- Would you recommend this vendor to others (honest assessment)?
- What would you change about the product?
- How stable is the vendor (will they still be around in 3 years)?
How to Use This Checklist
Before the demo: Send this checklist to the vendor and ask them to prepare responses. Better demos happen when vendors know what you're evaluating.
During the demo: Work through the checklist systematically. Take notes. Request live demos of specific capabilities rather than canned presentations.
After the demo: Score the vendor against your must-haves, should-haves, and nice-to-haves. Compare scores across vendors. Shortlist the top 2-3 for deeper evaluation.
Next: Return to Buying Guide | Pilot Design Guide | RFP Template