𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀
I failed at this process many times.
You call the references the vendor provides. They are all happy. They all say the same things. You sign the contract. Six months later, support takes days to respond. Your renewal cost jumps by 40 percent.
The reference check failed you. The customers did not lie. You asked the wrong questions.
Use these questions instead:
How many people at the vendor did you speak to in the last six months? One person is a risk. A team across sales and support is a sign of stability. AI vendors with small teams fail when you need them most.
Tell me about the last time something broke in production. Something always breaks. I want to know the vendor response. Did they communicate? Did they follow up after fixing the issue? This tells you more than a demo.
What do you know now that you wish you knew before signing? This asks for advice rather than criticism. Customers will tell you about pricing surprises or hidden feature gaps.
When you renewed, did you evaluate other options? Renewal is the truth. A customer who looks at competitors and chooses to stay is a strong signal. A customer who stays without looking is also good.
How does it work for employees who joined after the initial rollout? Early users have support and champions. New users must learn the tool alone. This shows the real daily experience.
These questions are not aggressive. Good vendors answer them with confidence. Mixed answers help you negotiate better terms before you sign.
Both results are better than asking if they like the product.
Source: https://dev.to/sumaskeller/the-reference-check-questions-nobody-asks-ai-vendors-142d
Optional learning community: https://t.me/GyaanSetuAi