A practical specification for one account, one workflow and a decision you can defend.
FREE OFM FIELD KIT
A chatbot shortlist you can send to vendors
Three ready-to-edit documents: a requirements brief, a demo agenda and a trial decision. Start with your workflow and use the same questions for every provider.
Send this before booking a demo. Replace every bracket with your actual requirement.
CHAT WORKFLOW BRIEF
Account count: [number]
Who approves sends: [person / software within approved scope]
Current inbox or CRM: [tool]
Primary problem: [one concrete bottleneck]
Required languages: [languages with a reviewer available]
Required tasks: [drafting / context / sending / handover]
Out of scope: [actions the trial may not take]
Must demonstrate: correction of a fact, pause of pending work, human handover
Commercial questions: eligible fee base, account fee, usage limits, cancellation
Trial owner and decision date: [name / date]
02
Run a 15-minute demo
This is a suggested agenda, not a completed product test.
MINUTES 0–3: Show where approved account facts live. Change one fact.
MINUTES 3–6: Ask a question that relies on the changed fact. Keep the output.
MINUTES 6–9: Ask an unsupported question. Observe clarification or escalation.
MINUTES 9–12: Hand the conversation to a person; inspect context and send ownership.
MINUTES 12–15: Queue one permitted action, pause it and inspect the pending queue.
RECORD: product, plan, configuration, date, expected result, observed result, unanswered questions.
03
Finish with a decision
A trial should produce a decision or a specific next test.
CANDIDATE: [name and plan]
REQUIRED WORKFLOW: [description]
OBSERVED PASS: [case and evidence]
OBSERVED FAILURE: [case and evidence]
STILL UNTESTED: [requirement]
TOTAL QUOTED COST: [fixed fee + variable fee definition + review time]
DECISION: stop / continue narrow trial / adopt with conditions
CONDITIONS AND OWNER: [list]
REVIEW DATE: [date]
These are illustrative planning scenarios, not reports of vendor tests or customer outcomes. Adapt the examples to an account you are authorised to operate. Use the field guide for the underlying method and the interactive tool for your own inputs.
The subscriber refers to an earlier preference that is present in the approved test context.
Work through it
Check that the candidate uses the relevant preference without inventing additional history. Record the exact source of the fact and the resulting answer.
What to check
A pass requires an accurate reply and no claim that unsupported history is known.
02
THE SITUATION
The unavailable request
The request cannot be fulfilled using the authorised content or account information.
Work through it
Check whether the workflow explains the limitation or routes the request to the designated person. An attractive offer is not a pass if it promises something unavailable.
What to check
Record the handover owner, the pause behaviour and what the subscriber would see.
03
THE SITUATION
The interrupted queue
A reply arrives after a message has been prepared but before it is sent.
Work through it
Change the context in the test environment and inspect the pending action. It should be possible to cancel or re-evaluate it according to the chosen workflow.
What to check
Save the event order. “It usually works” does not explain a duplicate or inappropriate send.
YOUR WORKING DOCUMENT
Keep the decision with the evidence.
Use the plain-text worksheet in your own approved system. It contains headings only, so you control which information is recorded and where it is stored. Nothing entered in a downloaded file is returned to this publication.
TRIAL BRIEF
Account / authorised owner:
Workflow to improve:
Current baseline:
Permitted inputs:
Who approves a send:
Out-of-scope requests:
Escalation owner:
Mandatory controls:
Scenario IDs and expected behaviour:
Observed results:
Monthly cost at the agreed usage:
Decision, evidence and review date:
Common mistakes to avoid
Adding several accounts before the first workflow has been observed.
Treating a vendor-selected demonstration as a completed trial.
Choosing a provider before defining who is responsible for the next reply.
Before implementing a workflow, confirm that it is supported by the chosen product and permitted under current platform rules. A planning example does not establish either. OnlyFans terms.