The number of "AI agencies" in Dallas tripled in 2025. Many of them are regular marketing agencies with "AI" added to the pitch deck. Some are legitimate. A few are excellent. Telling them apart before you sign is a skill worth developing — because the wrong choice costs $10,000–$100,000 in wasted budget and lost time.
This is the 10-question filter we'd use if we were hiring an AI agency ourselves.
1. "Show me something you've actually built and deployed."
Not a case study deck. Not a framework diagram. Actual running software or actual client deployments.
The best answer sounds like: "Here's a live AI voice agent answering calls for a law firm in Fort Worth. Here's an automation running in production for a waste services company. Here's the app that manages $22M+ in oil and gas revenue."
If the agency can't point at something real, they're probably reselling other people's tools with a markup.
Red flag: "We can't show specifics because of NDAs." Everybody says this. Press harder — a good agency has at least a few clients who've agreed to be case studies.
2. "Who actually writes the code?"
Some agencies are technical. Most are resellers. The difference matters.
If the agency's answer is "we manage the project and subcontract engineering to our offshore team," the engineering quality will be unpredictable. Timeline slips, bugs, and poor handoffs are common.
If the agency has engineers in-house (or has a founder who is an engineer), the quality is usually higher and the communication is tighter.
Red flag: Vague answers about "our team" without naming specific engineers or tools. Good technical agencies can tell you exactly who will work on your project.
3. "What's your tech stack and why?"
A serious AI agency has opinions about tools. They should be able to articulate why they pick one tool over another.
Good answer: "We use Next.js + TypeScript + Postgres + AWS or Vercel for web apps because it's modern, scalable, and easy to hire developers for later. For AI, we default to OpenAI or Anthropic depending on the use case, and we're honest about which model powers your build."
Bad answer: "We use the latest cutting-edge AI technology tailored to your needs." That's a word salad.
Red flag: Inability to name specific tools, models, or frameworks. Or — worse — the claim that they have "proprietary AI." Most "proprietary AI" is just a wrapper around GPT or Claude.
4. "What happens if something breaks 6 months after launch?"
This is the question that separates serious agencies from ship-and-disappear shops.
Good answer: "We offer monthly support starting at $X for bug fixes and small features. For bigger changes, we scope and quote them as Phase 2 work. If something critical breaks, we respond within 24 hours."
Bad answer: "We offer 30 days of support, then you're on your own." This is common but it means you either retain them on expensive terms or find a new agency to understand the code.
Red flag: Vague support terms, no monthly retainer option, or "we include everything in the initial fee" without specifying what "everything" means.
5. "Do I own the code?"
For custom AI work, the answer must be yes, 100%.
This is a dealbreaker. If the agency tries to license you their code, hold it hostage, or make you dependent on their proprietary infrastructure — walk away.
The right answer: "Your code, your IP, your repository. We deliver everything at handoff — source code, documentation, and access to any cloud services we set up."
Red flag: Vague answers about "intellectual property rights" or "platform licensing." You're paying for custom software. You should own it.
6. "How do you handle data and security?"
If you're building any AI system that touches customer data, the agency needs a credible answer.
Good answer includes specifics: encrypted data at rest and in transit, role-based access, audit logs, and industry-specific compliance where relevant (HIPAA for healthcare, SOC 2 for fintech, etc.).
Bad answer: "Security is a top priority and we follow industry best practices." That's marketing copy, not a security strategy.
Red flag: No documented security process. An agency that can't tell you how they protect your data hasn't thought about it.
7. "What's your honest take on our idea?"
Ask the agency what they think about your project. A good agency will give you useful feedback, even if it's uncomfortable.
Good agency: "Here's what concerns me about your plan. The AI chatbot makes sense, but you might get more value from fixing your CRM first. Let's talk about sequencing."
Bad agency: "Great idea! We can definitely build that. Here's our quote."
The second answer sounds like agreement, but it's actually a red flag. If an agency never pushes back on your idea, they're either not thinking critically or they're prioritizing the contract over your success.
8. "What does a realistic timeline look like?"
Every AI project takes longer than clients expect. Good agencies are honest about this upfront.
Good answer: "For a custom AI chatbot like you're describing, we typically ship the first working version in 3–5 days, then refine based on real user testing over 2–3 weeks. For AI voice callers, add 1–2 weeks for voice training and live test calls. For full apps like OilVested, plan on 6–16 weeks depending on scope."
Bad answer: "We can have it done in a week." Nobody ships a serious custom AI system in a week.
Red flag: Implausibly short timelines. These projects usually end up either (a) incomplete at launch, (b) significantly over budget, or (c) abandoned halfway through.
9. "Can I talk to 2 recent clients?"
The agency should happily connect you with 2 references from the last 12 months. If they hesitate, that's a signal.
What to ask the reference:
- How was the communication?
- Did the project ship on time?
- What broke after launch, and how did the agency handle it?
- Would you hire them again?
One good reference call tells you more than 100 testimonials.
Red flag: Only being allowed to talk to "designated reference clients" who are clearly coached. Or outright refusal to provide references.
10. "What's your pricing, and do you publish it?"
Agencies that publish pricing are almost always more honest than agencies that don't. We publish all our pricing — AI Websites from $500, AI Chatbots from $1,000, AI Voice Callers from $2,500, and so on.
Agencies that hide pricing are almost always doing one of two things:
- Pricing differently based on perceived client budget (discriminatory pricing)
- Padding quotes to support large sales teams
Neither is necessarily malicious, but both cost you.
Good answer: "Here's our standard pricing for this category of work. Your specific quote depends on [specific factors]. Let's walk through what affects the number."
Bad answer: "Our pricing is custom to each client." That means "we'll charge whatever we think you can pay."
How we'd choose an AI agency if we were hiring one
If we were on the other side of this — hiring an AI agency for our own business — our process would be:
- Start with Google reviews and case studies. Filter out agencies with fewer than 10 real reviews or no shipped work visible.
- First call: ask questions 1-3 (live builds, engineers, tech stack). If they fail these, move on.
- Second call: walk through your specific project. See if they push back intelligently.
- References: talk to 2 clients. If those calls are good, move forward.
- Contract: confirm code ownership, support terms, and scope. Push back on anything vague.
The whole process takes 2–3 weeks. It saves you from signing with the wrong agency, which can cost 6–12 months of wasted work.
Our honest pitch
We're Spiderbug AI. We're a Dallas-based AI automation agency. Here's how we stack up against the 10 questions:
- Live builds: OilVested ($22M+ managed), AI voice agents for Hector Peña Law and Texas Rubbish Dumpsters, chatbots for Boost District and WTX Crude, 40+ shipped projects.
- Engineers: Our founder is an engineer. Our team writes the code.
- Tech stack: Next.js + TypeScript + Postgres + AWS/Vercel for web, React Native for mobile, GPT-4o / Claude for AI. We're honest about which tools we use.
- Support: Monthly retainers starting at $500/mo. 30-day post-launch support on every project.
- Code ownership: 100%. Your code, your IP, your repository.
- Security: Encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access, audit logs. Industry-specific compliance for sensitive work.
- Honest feedback: We tell clients when their idea needs adjusting. We've turned down work we couldn't do well.
- Timeline: AI Websites in 48 hours to 10 days. Custom apps in 4–16 weeks depending on scope.
- References: Available on request — we're happy to connect you with recent clients.
- Pricing: Fully published at spiderbug.ai/pricing. Every number is real.
If you're evaluating AI agencies in Dallas, we'd love to be one of the ones you compare. Book a free call — we'll answer all 10 questions honestly and tell you if we're the right fit (or if someone else would serve you better).