# Running a pilot with your team

> Plan a Venzeo™ pilot or trial: one team, a few tags, phones activated by SMS, 10 reports in week one, compared with your current process.

Source: https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/running-a-pilot-with-your-team
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-31

This page is for the administrator who runs a Venzeo™ pilot or trial in their organisation.

A pilot answers one question: does Venzeo™ work better than the way your team documents work today? Keep the pilot small, and make sure the team uses the app from the first day.

## Start with one team and a few tags

Choose one team with the same kind of work every day, such as one depot or one crew of inspectors. We recommend three to five tags (previously called types) for the situations they report most, so they can choose quickly. You can add more later. See [Adding and editing tags (types) for reports](https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/managing-types).

## Activate the phones by SMS on the first day

Send an activation SMS to every phone in the team, so nobody has to come to the office. Do it on the first day, while the team still remembers the introduction. See [Activating the mobile app by SMS](https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/activating-mobile-app-by-sms).

## Aim for about 10 reports in the first week

We recommend a target of about 10 reports from the team in the first week. A target shows early whether the team really uses the app. Ask each person to send a first report on day one, and check the **Reports** page every day. If someone sends nothing by the second day, call them and solve the problem together. See [Creating your first report](https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/creating-first-report).

## Compare Venzeo™ with your current process

Run the pilot on real work, not on test jobs. Keep your current process going for the same jobs. At the end, compare the two:

- Filter the pilot reports by period and tag, and check when each report arrived. See [Filtering reports](https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/filtering-reports).
- Export the filtered reports to Excel or PDF and put them next to the records from your current process. See [Exporting filtered reports](https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/exporting-filtered-reports).
- Count the jobs where the reports or the old records had missing or unclear information.

## For banks and leasing companies: send a Venzeo™ Request first

Before an inspector visits a client, send the client a Venzeo™ Request by SMS with the photos you need. Then compare the client's photos with the inspector's report. The client's photos are certified only when your organisation has a licence. This shows whether a Request can replace some visits. See [Requesting photos from someone outside your team by SMS](https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/requesting-photos-by-sms).

Before you send Requests to real clients, check with support@venzeo.com that a data processing agreement is in place.

_Example: a leasing company planned its pilot this way: send a Venzeo™ Request to the client before the inspector's visit, then compare the two reports._

> **Note:** Without a licence, your organisation has a limited number of free reports and can send only a limited number of SMS each week. Reports created during the trial period are not certified. If the pilot must show certified reports, ask support@venzeo.com about a licence for the pilot. See [Free reports, licence and deactivation: common questions](https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/trial-licence-and-deactivated-organisation).