Choosing an AI agency in the Netherlands: what to look for
By Joey van Vliet, founderUpdated 7 min read
The short answer
The best AI agency depends on what you want to improve. Choose one that starts with your work rather than a tool, says openly where AI won't pay off, and stays until the solution works in your own systems. Test that against the eight points below and the questions for the first meeting.
About this guide: written by Your Tech Club, with no ranking and no names of other agencies. How we do it ourselves is set out separately under How Your Tech Club works.
What to look for in an AI agency
These eight points apply to any organisation that wants to use AI, large or small. Each one comes with a question you can ask in the first meeting. The answer tells you more than a list of references.
The agency starts with your work, not a tool
A good AI project starts by asking what needs to get better: where time is lost, where errors creep in, where revenue is left on the table. Only then comes the question of which technology fits.
If an agency proposes a platform or model in the first meeting, the answer has been chosen before the question is known.
Ask in the meetingWhat do you want to know about us before you propose a solution?It also tells you where AI won't pay off
Not every process gets better with AI. Sometimes simple automation is enough, sometimes a better agreement between two departments, and sometimes the best advice is to do nothing.
An agency that says so openly is one you can believe when it does recommend something.
Ask in the meetingCan you name an idea you advised a client against, and why?The research up front has a fixed format
Preliminary research is useful when you know in advance what you will get: who will be interviewed, how the cost of your current work is calculated and what goes in the report.
An open-ended exploration with no fixed outcome only postpones the decision.
Ask in the meetingWhat will we have after the research, and how do you calculate what our current work costs?It builds in your own systems
An AI application only delivers value when it runs where the work happens: in your CRM, your ERP, your inbox or your planning. A standalone demo or a chat window next to your processes remains a trial.
Ask how the agency connects to what you already have, and what happens when one of those systems changes.
Ask in the meetingWhich of our systems does this need to work with, and who maintains those integrations?You stay in control of what the AI does
You need to be able to see what an AI application has done and why, and a person needs to be able to step in where it matters. Think logging, monitoring and an approval step for decisions that affect customers or money.
That belongs in the delivery, not in a follow-up project.
Ask in the meetingHow do we see what the solution has done, and where does someone on our side approve?Information security can be demonstrated
AI works with your data: customer details, quotes, internal documents. An ISO 27001 certificate shows that information security is set up as a management system and audited externally.
It doesn't mean every solution automatically meets your requirements. So also ask which agreements apply per project, and which data goes to which supplier.
Ask in the meetingCan we see the certificate and its scope, and which data goes to which supplier?Strategy, design, software and data sit in one team
An AI application is rarely just a model. There is a process to redesign, a screen people work with, an integration, and data that needs to be in order.
If those parts sit with different suppliers, you end up in the middle. Ask who does what and who is ultimately responsible.
Ask in the meetingWho will work on our project, and who is our point of contact when something doesn't work?The agency stays after go-live
The real work starts after go-live: users find exceptions, processes change and models get replaced. Ask who monitors the solution, how improvements are planned and what it costs to keep it running.
Also agree that the code and the configuration belong to you, so you are never locked in.
Ask in the meetingWhat happens after go-live, and who owns the code and the configuration?
Questions to ask in the first meeting
Take this list to your first meetings. A partner that suits you gives a concrete answer to every question, even if that answer is that something can't be done.
- What do you want to know about us before you propose anything?
- Which idea have you advised a client against, and why?
- How do you calculate what our current work costs?
- Which of our systems does the solution need to work with?
- How do we see what the AI has done, and where does a person approve?
- Which data goes to which supplier, and where is it stored?
- Can we see your ISO certificates and their scope?
- Who is on the team, and who is our regular point of contact?
- Who monitors the solution after go-live?
- Who owns the code, the prompts and the configuration?
Consultant, builder or implementation partner: what do you need?
The label AI agency covers firms that do very different things. A consultant helps with strategy and choices, but usually doesn't build. A builder delivers an application and hands it over. An implementation partner first works out where the value is, builds it into your own systems and stays until it works.
Which one you need depends on where you are. If you already know exactly what needs to be built and have a team to run it afterwards, a builder may be enough. If you don't yet know where AI will deliver the most, start with research that has a fixed outcome.
How Your Tech Club approaches AI projects
This part is about us. The points above apply to any partner, including us: feel free to hold us to them.
We are an AI implementation partner. We start with the work rather than a tool, and we stay until a solution runs in your own systems. If AI isn't the answer, we say so.
The first step is usually the AI Opportunity Audit: five working days, an intake plus three to five interviews, and a report with five fixed sections. What it costs now, the three highest-value opportunities, what we wouldn't do, what implementation looks like, and the first 90 days.
If you then go ahead with implementation, we lay the foundation first, automate the first process and build from there. Strategy, design, software, data and AI sit in one team, and what we build stays yours. One example of AI in a custom platform is the receipt validation in the promotion platform we built for Verkade.
- ISO 9001 and ISO 27001, certified by Kiwa
- 500 projects delivered
- 4.8 from 127 reviews
- 90% returning clients
- Office on Duivendrechtsekade in Amsterdam
- Founded by Joey van Vliet and Yassine Seghrouchni
Frequently asked questions
What does an AI agency do?
An AI agency helps organisations put AI to work. That can mean advice, building an application, or rolling it out and running it. Always ask which part an agency does itself: only advise, only build, or also implement and keep improving after go-live.
What does it cost to hire an AI agency?
That depends on what you ask for: preliminary research, a first application or ongoing support. Either way, ask for a fixed price for the first step, so you know what you will get before deciding on the rest. At Your Tech Club, the AI Opportunity Audit has a fixed price that you know in advance.
How do I know whether AI makes sense for my organisation?
Look at the work first, not the technology. Where is time lost, where are errors being fixed, where is revenue left on the table? Once you can put a figure on that, you can see whether AI, ordinary automation or a different way of working delivers the most.
Should an AI agency be ISO 27001 certified?
It isn't a legal requirement, but it is a strong signal if the agency works with your data. The certificate shows that information security is set up as a management system and audited externally. Check the scope and agree per project which data ends up where.
Does our data need to be in order first?
No. Whether the data is usable is part of the preliminary research. A good agency tells you what it takes to make the most of an opportunity, and whether it is worth investing in that first.
What is the difference between an AI agency and an implementation partner?
An AI agency may only advise or only build. An implementation partner works out where the value is, builds it into your systems and stays until it works. You mainly see the difference after go-live: who monitors the solution and who improves it.
What if the agency thinks we don't need AI?
Then you have probably found a good agency. Advice not to do something prevents an investment that delivers nothing, and makes the advice that does include a build step more credible.
Who owns the AI solution after delivery?
You agree that in advance. Make sure the code, the configuration, the prompts and the data are yours. Then you can carry on later yourself, or with another partner, without starting over.
