How to Run a Successful Vendor Discovery Call
Ask the right questions so you evaluate vendors on substance, not slide decks.
Prepare Your Routing Scenario
Bring a real work order with 4–6 routing steps across different work centers. Ask the vendor to walk through how their system would track that job from release to ship. If they can't demo your actual workflow, they don't understand your business.
Ask About Operator Experience
Request a live demo of what your CNC operator sees at 6 AM on a Monday. How many clicks to see their queue? Can they log a quality issue from their phone? Is the interface designed for gloved hands and shop lighting?
Probe Data Ownership and Portability
Can you export all your data at any time? What format? How are backups handled? Avoid vendors that lock your production history behind proprietary formats.
Evaluate Support and Onboarding
Ask: 'What does week 1 look like? Week 4? Who is our primary contact after go-live?' The best systems include guided onboarding, contextual help, and responsive human support — not just a knowledge base.