The 24 questions to ask before choosing an AI sales agent
Mark what is a must-have and what is a nice-to-have for your company, and download an RFP built around your priorities, ready to send to every vendor.
Each question goes into your RFP as a must-have or a nice-to-have. Mark as not applicable whatever does not fit your company and it stays out.
1.Integration with your systems
ERP lookups
Does the agent check inventory, prices and account balance in our ERP during the conversation? Which ERPs does it have integrations with in production?
Why it matters: Without ERP data, the agent answers with whatever was loaded once and hands off everything else.
CRM logging
Is every conversation, lead, quote and order logged in our CRM, in our objects and respecting our permissions?
Why it matters: What does not land in the CRM cannot be measured or followed up.
Customer-specific pricing
Does it apply the price list, volume discounts and commercial terms that belong to each customer?
Why it matters: In B2B the customer does not ask for the list price: they ask for their price.
Order entry
Can it create the order in the ERP without anyone typing it? What happens if the entry fails?
Why it matters: If the order ends up in an email or a spreadsheet, the retyping is still there.
2.Answer quality
Answers based on real data
How does it keep the agent from making up prices, stock or lead times? What does it do when it does not have the data?
Why it matters: A made-up price costs more than an unanswered question.
Natural language and voice notes
Does it understand messy messages, abbreviations and voice notes in the language our customers use? Can we test it with real conversations?
Why it matters: Customers write the way they talk, not like a form.
Configurable limits
Can we define what the agent may promise (discounts, lead times, exceptions) and what it has to hand off to a person?
Why it matters: Business rules are set by the company, not by the AI model.
3.Sales process
Lead qualification
Does it qualify leads with our criteria and assign them to the right sales rep, with a summary of the conversation?
Why it matters: Reps should receive opportunities, not half-read conversations.
Rule-based quoting
Does it build quotes with our rules (minimums, price breaks, taxes, freight and validity) and keep them on record?
Why it matters: The quote is where B2B sales get lost the most: through delay or through error.
Handoff with context
How does it pass the conversation to a person? With what context, to whom and at what hours?
Why it matters: A poor handoff forces the customer to repeat everything.
Payment in the conversation
Can it send a payment link and match the payment to the right order?
Why it matters: Every step outside the chat is a point where the sale can fall through.
4.Channel and compliance
Official WhatsApp API
Does it run on the official WhatsApp Business API? Through which official provider (BSP)?
Why it matters: Unofficial solutions put the company's number at risk.
Own number and account
Do the WhatsApp number and account stay in our company's name? Can we migrate them if we change providers?
Why it matters: The number is a sales asset: it has to be yours.
Transparent Meta costs
Are Meta's messages paid directly to Meta or with a markup from the provider? How do they show up on the invoice?
Why it matters: With per-message billing, a small markup gets multiplied by thousands.
Meta policies
How does it handle customer consent, approved templates and the quality rating of the number?
Why it matters: A number with a poor rating gets its sending limits reduced.
5.Implementation and support
Delivery model
Is the agent delivered configured and running, or is it a platform our team has to build on?
Why it matters: A powerful platform with nobody to run it delivers little.
Timeline and owners
How long does go-live take, in which stages, and what do you need from our team at each one?
Why it matters: The real timeline depends on who does each part.
Support and improvements
Who adjusts the agent after go-live? At what hours and in which language is support provided?
Why it matters: Catalogs and rules change: someone has to keep the agent up to date.
6.Security and data
Infrastructure
Where is the data processed and stored? Which certifications does that infrastructure have, and who holds them?
Why it matters: A certification of the cloud the provider uses is not a certification of the provider.
Permissions and audit trail
Does the agent respect the permissions of our systems? Is every action it takes logged?
Why it matters: An agent that writes to your systems has to leave a trail of what it does.
Data ownership
Do the conversations and data belong to our company? Are they used to train third-party models?
Why it matters: Your customer and pricing data is sensitive business information.
7.Cost and contract
Cost breakdown
Can you break down implementation, subscription, Meta messages and integrations into separate lines?
Why it matters: What is not broken down cannot be compared.
Scalability
How does the cost change if the conversation volume grows or drops?
Why it matters: Seasonal peaks should not turn into a surprise on the invoice.
Lock-in and exit
Is there a minimum commitment? How do we take our data and configuration with us if we end the contract?
Why it matters: How you get to leave says a lot about how you are treated while you stay.
Your RFP
24
Questions in your RFP
- Must-haves
- 0
- Nice-to-haves
- 24
- Left out
- 0
A vendor that fails a must-have is out, whatever its total score.
The checklist is free and requires no sign-up. The RFP comes as a PDF to send and a CSV to fill in.
Send this link to whoever signs off on the budget.
How to choose an AI sales agent without getting it wrong
Choosing an AI agent to sell on WhatsApp is not decided in a demo: it is decided by comparing concrete answers, in the same format, from every vendor.
What the checklist evaluates
The 24 questions are grouped into seven categories: integration with your systems, answer quality, sales process, channel and compliance, implementation and support, security and data, and cost and contract. Each one asks for something the vendor can prove, such as an integration in production, a CRM record or a cost breakdown, instead of a promise.
You mark what is a must-have and what is a nice-to-have for your company, and whatever does not apply stays out. That builds the RFP as a PDF to send, and as a spreadsheet to fill in with each vendor's answers and score.
How to use the RFP
Send it to every vendor with the same deadline and ask for written answers. A vendor that fails a must-have is out, whatever its total. If you have not yet defined which type of tool you need, start with chatbot or AI agent.
The same list works to evaluate Sellium, Vantegrate's sales agent: ask us for the answers and compare them with the rest. For the cost side, see how much an AI agent for WhatsApp sales costs.
Frequently asked questions
What is an RFP for an AI agent?
What is an RFP for an AI agent?
A Request for Proposal: the same set of questions sent to every vendor, with a common deadline and format, so the answers can be compared side by side. For an AI sales agent, the key questions are about integration, answer quality, the channel and the cost breakdown.
Which criteria should never be left out?
Which criteria should never be left out?
Integration with your ERP and CRM, answers based on real data, the official WhatsApp API with the number in your name, handoff to a person with context, and a cost breakdown on separate lines. Without those five, the rest is hard to evaluate.
How do I compare answers from several vendors?
How do I compare answers from several vendors?
Score each answer 2 (meets it), 1 (partly) or 0 (does not), and multiply by the weight: 2 for a must-have, 1 for a nice-to-have. A vendor with a 0 on a must-have is out, whatever its total.
Can I use it to evaluate Sellium?
Can I use it to evaluate Sellium?
Yes. It is the same list we would use to evaluate any vendor. Send it to us like everyone else and we will answer it in writing, question by question.
What does Vantegrate do with my data?
What does Vantegrate do with my data?
We only use your email to send you the RFP and to contact you if you ask. You can unsubscribe whenever you want.
Send it to us too
Use the same RFP with every vendor, including us. If you want Sellium's answers in writing, message us on WhatsApp or book a demo with your data.
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