Questions to Ask in Every Software Demo

Take Control of the Demo

A sales demo is designed to show the product at its best. Your job is to steer it towards your real workflow and surface the costs and limits that rarely appear on the pricing page. Send your three most important tasks in advance and ask the rep to show those, not the standard tour.

Pricing and Contract Questions

What is the total monthly cost for my team size, including all add-ons I will need?
Are there per-user, per-location or per-transaction charges?
What is the minimum term, and how much notice do I need to cancel?
How much and how often can the price rise during my contract?
Is there a setup, onboarding or hardware fee?

Using It Day to Day

Can you show me this exact task from start to finish?
What happens when the internet goes down?
How long does a typical new member of staff take to learn it?

Support and Reliability

What are your support hours, and is support included in my plan?
Is there UK-based support, and how quickly are urgent issues answered?
Can I see your status page and past outage history?

Data, Security and UK Compliance

Where is my data stored, and will you sign a data processing agreement under UK GDPR?
How do I export all my data, and in what format?
Is the product compatible with Making Tax Digital where relevant?
Do any AI features use my customers' data, and can I switch them off?

Integrations and Switching

Which integrations are included, and which cost extra?
Can you migrate my existing data, and is that charged?

After the Demo

Ask for answers in writing, request a trial with your own data, and never agree to a same-day discount. A genuine offer will still be there tomorrow. Read our contract red flags guide before you sign.