The B2B Search Solution Decision-Maker’s Checklist

As you jump-start your AI search discovery process Algolia experts break down the for B2B organizations to fast-track their search adoption process.  Whatever your stage of business, our checklist of essential guidelines applies— whether you’re looking to purchase a new search solution, upgrade an existing one, or move to a new provider.

1. Identify your business goals

For most B2B organizations, that involves shifting sales online, reducing costs, and scaling profitability.

2. Identify your key stakeholder groups

Senior business and IT leadership will have a key role in most cases, but influencers might also be from marketing, customer experience, product, and other areas.

3. Conduct a needs assessment

Work with all stakeholders to identify what critical requirements are needed for the solution to be performant for your business (Is there a tech stack that the solution must integrate with? What’s the cost of shifting from the previous solution? What’s the availability and bandwidth of in-house dev talent? What’s the opportunity cost as well as time to market?).

4. Pull in the right people at the right stages

Get senior business and technical leadership on board to initiate and validate the process.

5. Do your research

Keep tabs on influential sources including blogs and solution provider websites.

6. Circulate that research

with key stakeholders to educate them about selection criteria and to set priorities. Keep top influencers in the loop to build momentum and gain support.

7. Bring together stakeholders

to determine how your organization will use search and what your organizational goals are. 

8. Weigh those aims

against the digital maturity and technical capabilities of your organization. Identify search and discovery solutions that fill technical gaps and support digital acceleration. 

9. Learn what robust AI capabilities can do

for your organization to meet your goals, such as personalized search, improved search relevance and accuracy, and reduced manual labor.

10. Consider the benefits of a modular approach

built on a composable (headless) structure, one that enables organizations to explore best-of-breed solutions without dismantling other systems or impacting high-stakes relationships.

11. Identify the KPIs you'll use to measure success

Develop markers of success for transactional, informative, and consultative stages. Pin down your expectations regarding time to value.

12. Gather key stakeholders to evaluate suitable tools

Make a final selection with the approval of a team or senior decision-maker.
Defining use cases helps B2B organizations focus on specific challenges and opportunities to address and improve through search.