FIELD GUIDE 01
Scope the agent workflow
Choose the platform around the work, systems and billing unit.
Trial the platform closest to your real workflow: a team assistant, an enterprise agent workforce, Microsoft automation or Salesforce service. Credits and conversations are not comparable units.
Define workflows and connected systems.
Write down the current process, the expected output and the person responsible for approving it. For ai agent platforms, make workflows and connected systems an explicit part of the brief rather than an assumption hidden in a demo.
Give each provider the same task.
- Workflows and connected systems: state the requirement, ask for evidence and record any limitation before the pilot.
- Human approval and permissions: state the requirement, ask for evidence and record any limitation before the pilot.
- Billing units and total usage: state the requirement, ask for evidence and record any limitation before the pilot.
- Deployment and operating ownership: state the requirement, ask for evidence and record any limitation before the pilot.
Questions for the shortlist.
Lindy: Free credits expire in 7 days; monthly credits do not roll over. My first small-team trial for everyday work. Check whether the assistant covers the actual workflow before scaling seats. Read the official product description ↗
Relevance AI: Separate action usage from underlying model vendor credits. A broader enterprise workforce evaluation, with evaluations and access controls. Current published pricing is quote-led. Read the official product description ↗
Microsoft Copilot Studio: Internal Microsoft 365 agent rights differ from external publishing. Start here when Microsoft identity and Power Platform are already central. Choose the standalone plan for outside channels. Read the official product description ↗
Salesforce Agentforce: Action billing and conversation billing are distinct models. Strongest shortlist fit when the workflow already depends on Salesforce. Model complete actions and licenses before comparing cost. Read the official product description ↗
Check the exception path.
Include missing inputs, ambiguous requests and a failed integration in the evaluation. Record the result and the recovery steps. A system that works for the routine case still needs an accountable route for the rest of the work.
Decide what would justify proceeding.
Agree an acceptance threshold for human approval and permissions with the people who operate the process. Keep the input set, result notes and unresolved questions so the decision can be revisited when the product or requirements change.