# AI agent RFP checklist

> Thirty questions to put to every AI customer service agent vendor, grouped by pricing, performance evidence, deployment, coverage, and control and compliance, so that answers can be compared like for like.

Published: September 18, 2026 · Updated: September 18, 2026 · Prices and figures verified: September 18, 2026 · By the ai-agents.reviews team

This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on it. We have not run hands-on tests of these products. Method: [How we review](https://ai-agents.reviews/en-us/how-we-review)

Send every vendor the same questions and ask for written answers. The five groups below mirror the five criteria in [our scoring rubric](https://ai-agents.reviews/en-us/how-we-review), so you can score the replies the same way we score public documentation.

## Pricing and contract

1. What is the billable unit, and what is its exact written definition?
2. Does customer silence count as a resolution? After how long?
3. Are handoffs, abandoned conversations, spam or test conversations billable?
4. What is the minimum commitment, and do unused units roll over or expire?
5. What is the overage rate, and is overage billed automatically?
6. Which other products or seats must we buy for the agent to work?
7. Can we audit a sample of billed resolutions, and how are errors credited?

## Performance evidence

1. What is your average resolution rate, how is it defined, and over what period?
2. Can you share results from three named customers with a ticket mix like ours?
3. What satisfaction scores do those customers see on AI-handled conversations?
4. How do you measure wrong answers, and what is the rate?
5. What share of resolved conversations are reopened within seven days?

## Deployment and access

1. Can we run a paid pilot on our own tickets before committing? For how long?
2. Does the agent run on our current helpdesk, or must we migrate?
3. What is the typical time to go live, and what do you need from our team?
4. Who does the configuration: us, you, or a partner? What does it cost?
5. How do we test a change before customers see it?

## Coverage

1. Which channels are supported natively, and which need a third party?
2. Which languages are supported for chat, email and voice separately?
3. Which of our systems can the agent act in, and through what kind of integration?
4. What are the documented limits: attachments, images, long conversations?

## Control and compliance

1. How do we set rules for what the agent may and may not say or do?
2. How does handoff work, and what context does the human receive?
3. Is there a full log of every AI conversation and action, and how long is it kept?
4. Where is our data stored, and can we choose the region?
5. Which sub-processors, including model providers, handle our data, and where?
6. Is our data used to train models? Is there zero data retention with model providers?
7. Which certifications do you hold, and can we see the current reports?
8. Will you sign our data processing agreement, and a BAA if we need one?
9. How does the product disclose to customers that they are talking to an AI?

> The legal questions differ by country. See [AI customer service agents and the law](https://ai-agents.reviews/en-us/guides/ai-customer-service-agents-and-the-law) for the edition that applies to you.

> **Scored on a public rubric, from sources you can open.** Every score on this site comes from five published criteria: pricing transparency, performance evidence, access, coverage, and control. Each price and percentage comes from one product database and links to its source, so every page agrees with every other page. Rubric v1.0 · We have not run hands-on tests yet, and no page here claims we did. [Read the full method](https://ai-agents.reviews/en-us/how-we-review)

## Keep reading

- [What counts as a resolution?](https://ai-agents.reviews/en-us/guides/what-counts-as-a-resolution)
- [Resolution rate vs deflection rate](https://ai-agents.reviews/en-us/guides/resolution-rate-vs-deflection-rate)
- [Per-resolution vs per-seat pricing](https://ai-agents.reviews/en-us/guides/per-resolution-vs-per-seat-pricing)
- [How to run an AI agent pilot](https://ai-agents.reviews/en-us/guides/how-to-run-an-ai-agent-pilot)
- [The best AI customer service agents in 2026](https://ai-agents.reviews/en-us/best/ai-customer-service-agents)

---

Canonical: https://ai-agents.reviews/en-us/guides/ai-agent-rfp-checklist