Trial - A trial, sometimes called a live trial or evaluation, is...

Trial - A trial, sometimes called a live trial or evaluation, is an opportunity for the customer to implement the product (with or without assistance) in their own environment. The objective is to give the customer the ability to have hands-on experience with the product and tovalidate the features and capabilities pitched by the manufacturer in the demo. Trials typically have a duration of 30-60 days and in the case of hardware may involve an agreement to return the evaluation equipment or to purchase at the end of the trial.

Pilot - As the POC builds on the trial, likewise the pilot provides more focus and structure. A pilot usually, but not always, is proceeded by some level of commitment by the customer and manufacturer through the purchase of a limited amount of the product suitable for testing against sample of the proposed solution set. The understanding is that the customer has made a decision to purchase the product pending the successful outcome of the pilot. Unlike the previous stages (demo, trial and POC) the pilot is typically not a competitive engagement. The pilot can also be used to measure the real benefits of implementing the product (versus those proposed by the manufacturer or perceived by the customer). Data collected during the pilot can be used in developing and executing the implementation project