# Pilot scope, costs and handover

Go through this with the owner before starting the work. You want both of you to understand what you're building, what it costs, and how you'll check it works. You'll still need an appropriate agreement for the job. This worksheet doesn't replace a contract or tell you what you'll earn.

## Agree the work

- Business and person approving the pilot:
- Specific situation covered:
- Hours and service area:
- Inputs collected:
- Approved answers, prices, and promises:
- Requests that require a person:
- Handoff destination and person monitoring it:
- Expected response process (confirmed by owner):
- Features included:
- Features outside this pilot:
- Setup fee, payment timing and delivery inputs:
- Usage charges and who pays them:
- Support scope and operating hours:
- Pilot start/review date:
- Acceptance criteria:
- Pause/rollback procedure:

## Cost worksheet

Write your assumptions next to each number. Check current provider pricing.

Setup work: research ___ hours + configuration ___ + testing ___ + handover ___ = ___ hours.
Internal hourly cost assumption: ___. Setup labor cost = hours × assumed hourly cost.
Other direct setup costs: ___. Contingency for identified uncertainties: ___.
Proposed setup fee: ___. Contribution before other overhead/tax = fee minus direct costs.

Monthly voice minutes: ___. Cost at current plan: ___. Phone number/telephony: ___. n8n hosting: ___. Email/mailbox: ___. Other tools: ___. Support hours × internal hourly cost: ___.
Estimated normal-month cost: ___. Busy-month assumptions and cost: ___. Proposed ongoing fee: ___.
Who pays providers directly: ___. Usage cap/alerts and what happens above it: ___.

For ads, record the client's approved ad budget separately from your fee. Evaluate lead quality and downstream outcomes, not just form counts. Do not treat these cost calculations as a market price recommendation.

## Inputs and access

Get approved business information, callback rules, account access through appropriate invitations, test destination, and contact for failures. Use client-owned accounts wherever practical. Record access and how the client can revoke it. Never ask for credentials to be pasted into a shared worksheet.

## Acceptance checklist

- A normal synthetic request reaches the agreed inbox; confirm actual receipt, not only SMTP acceptance.
- The operator knows which details need confirmation.
- Invalid requests and refused callbacks do not send emails.
- The voice agent does not invent prices, availability, bookings or transfers.
- Auth failure, SMTP failure and timeout do not produce a false success claim.
- Duplicate requests and ambiguous outcomes have a documented handling process.
- A person owns monitoring and callback attempts.
- Accounts, operating hours, service area and data retention match owner decisions.
- The client can find requests, change approved information, pause the setup and report a problem.
- Any telephony routing is tested in the intended coverage hours before real calls route to it.

## Handover recording

Show where requests arrive, how to edit business information, how to spot a failure, how to pause the workflow/phone routing, and who to contact. Have the client repeat the important actions while you watch.

## When you’re thinking about the next service

Record requests captured, SMTP acceptance, confirmed inbox receipt, callbacks attempted and appointments actually booked as different events. Ask the client for outcomes you cannot observe. Propose another service only when you can point to a problem: unanswered new leads, missed calls, confusing booking pages, or missed appointments. Agree the additional scope and cost separately.

## Taking payment on the call

Once the buyer has agreed to the scope, price and terms, ask: "If you're happy with that, I can send the payment link now and we can get the setup started."

Use your payment provider's secure checkout. Let the buyer enter their own payment details privately. Confirm the payment in the provider's records before treating it as received. If approval or a concern is outstanding, agree the next step and a time to return to it. Pressure doesn't resolve an unclear agreement.

## Pay-per-result example

These are hypothetical terms to compare, not a market benchmark or expected results.

Fixed option: $600/month.
Result option: $60 per agreed qualified appointment that actually takes place.

5 billable appointments = $300. 10 = $600. 15 = $900. These are gross fees before costs; zero billable results means zero result fees.

A setup fee plus a base fee and result bonus can cover fixed work while tying part of the fee to performance. Compare the downside as well as the upside before choosing.

Fill this in together:

- Exact billable result and qualification criteria:
- Evidence system and access to records:
- Attribution rule and measurement window:
- Existing customers and duplicate handling:
- No-shows, cancellations and reschedules:
- Refunds and invalid-result credits:
- Client responsibilities for replies and follow-up:
- Fixed fee, per-result fee and any monthly cap:
- Reconciliation date, invoice date and payment deadline:
- Dispute process and time limit:
- Pause/cancel terms and outstanding fees:

If you can't verify the outcome or agree these terms, a fixed pilot fee may be easier to manage.