Trial versions and pilot licences are a way to test a tool before purchasing it company-wide. The recommended approach has four steps. Choose a small group of people who perform the given task most often, not enthusiasts from across the company. Decide in advance what will count as success – time saved, the number of cases processed, or another figure – and record the baseline. Test on real tasks and data, not sample ones. And set a deadline after which a decision will be made. With contracts, watch the commitment period and the option to reduce the number of licences, since the number actually needed almost always differs from the original estimate after the pilot. Also allow for the fact that performance is lower in the first few weeks, while people get used to the tool.
See also: Choosing an AI tool for a business, Testing before investment, AI Adoption by Employees.
