The Problem
Everyone's an "AI agency" now. Last year they were a social media agency. The year before that, a web design agency. They've added "AI" to their website and doubled their prices. The deliverable? A ChatGPT wrapper with your logo on it.
Red Flags
Vague deliverables: If the proposal says "AI-powered solution" without specifying exactly what it does, how it works, and what the output looks like, walk away.
No demo: If they can't show you a working example of something similar to what you need, they're learning on your budget.
Long timelines: A custom AI system for an SME should take weeks, not months. If someone quotes 6 months, they're either overcomplicated the scope or don't know what they're doing.
Locked-in hosting: If they host your system on their infrastructure with no option to move it, you're a hostage, not a client.
No maintenance plan: AI systems need ongoing maintenance. Models update, APIs change, your business evolves. If there's no plan for this, the system will break within a year.
Green Flags
Specific experience: They can show you systems they've built for businesses similar to yours.
Working demos: They'll build something before asking for payment.
Clear pricing: You know exactly what you're paying for and when.
Your infrastructure: The system runs on your domain, your hosting, or infrastructure you control.
Ongoing support: Maintenance and updates are part of the relationship.
Questions to Ask
Can you show me a working demo before I commit? What specific AI models and tools will you use? Who owns the code and data? What happens if I want to move to a different provider? What's included in ongoing maintenance?
The Simple Test
Ask them to explain, in plain English, exactly what the system will do and how it will save you time or money. If they can't, they don't understand your business well enough to build for it.
Choose OrcaScale
OrcaScale ticks every green flag. Working demos before payment. Clear pricing. Your infrastructure. Ongoing support. Build before you pay.