AI Agent Selection Checklist: 10 Questions Before You Buy
This AI Agent selection checklist helps buyers align 10 go/no-go questions before RFP: measurable scenario, governed knowledge, system access, human boundaries, compliance, and ops ownership. Unlike “pick a model brand first,” it prioritizes deliverable scope. GeonAI provides enterprise Agent discovery and delivery; the 363+ /agents catalog is reference only—not a public trial of all presets. Email [email protected], subject “Enterprise Agent inquiry”.
Why a checklist beats “choose the model first”
Most failures are fuzzy scenarios, underestimated integrations, missing red lines, or no owner—not a weak model. Answer business questions first, then compose DeepSeek/GPT/Claude stacks (/blog/multi-model-selection-guide). Delivery cadence: /blog/enterprise-ai-agent-delivery-4-steps.
10 questions (paste into your PRD)
- Is there one measurable primary scenario? (e.g., order-lookup FCR ≥ X%—not “full intelligence”)
- Which success metrics? FRT, handoff rate, wrong-promise rate, CSAT—pick 2–3
- Is knowledge governable? Who updates policies/SKUs? Effective dates and ACLs (/blog/enterprise-rag-knowledge-base-agent)
- Which systems must connect? OMS/CRM/tickets—read-only or write-back? Staging available?
- Where is the human boundary? Refunds, haggling, compliance copy that must escalate
- Which channels? Web, app, WeCom, marketplace IM—and peak degrade plan
- Data/compliance red lines? PII in prompts, cross-border transfer, audit retention
- Who owns post-launch ops? KB, prompts, QA samples, on-call alerts
- Do budget and timeline match scope? Pricing factors: /blog/custom-ai-agent-pricing-factors
- Discovery pack ready? Top questions, system list, policies, KPI draft
Map answers to do / defer / don’t
| Signal | Suggestion | Typical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Clear scenario + read-only hooks | Pilot | Single-channel FAQ/lookup in 6–10 weeks |
| Many scenarios, messy KB | Govern knowledge first | Then Agent—avoid hallucinated promises |
| Writes required, no approval flow | Defer or shrink | Draft tickets before write rights |
| No ops owner + no KPIs | Pause buy | Name Owner and metrics first (/blog/custom-agent-project-owner-raci) |
Generic tools vs must-customize
Off-the-shelf chatbots fit FAQ. Prefer a custom Agent when you need cross-system reads, brand voice, governed handoff/nudges, private deploy, or graded permissions. Framework: /blog/generic-ai-tools-vs-custom-agent. Support modules: /blog/custom-customer-service-agent.
One-pager before the discovery call
- Primary scenario in one sentence + 3 KPIs (with baseline)
- Top 20–30 real user questions (include hard cases)
- System list and read/write expectations
- Red-line list (must-human scenarios)
- Launch channels and peak expectations
- Target go-live window and decision makers
How GeonAI uses this checklist
Email [email protected] or use /pricing / Live chat with checklist answers to start discovery. Browse /agents (e.g., e-commerce support) to align scope. Presets are not production support out of the box.
Frequently asked questions
Must all 10 answers be “yes” before we buy?
No. But if primary scenario, metrics, human boundaries, and ops Owner are missing, pause a large purchase—pilot small or govern the KB first.
Model first or scenario first?
Scenario and integration boundaries first; then pick models for latency, cost, and compliance. Models are swappable; bad scope is not.
FAQ only, no integrations—do we need a custom Agent?
Maybe not. Once you need order/inventory reads or strict tone and handoff SLAs, custom delivery fits better.
How does this differ from the red-flags post?
This is a pre-buy question list; the red-flags article (/blog/ai-agent-project-red-flags) focuses on “demo looks great, production fails” signals. Read both.
Can the 363+ presets replace selection?
No. Presets show capability types without your systems, policies, or KPIs. Custom delivery starts with email discovery.