Using Instant Expert
Common questions about Instant Expert
How Instant Expert finds people, why you might pay for a conversation, what acceptance data shows, and how to make your first request.
Instant Expert helps you find people and offer to pay for a call or reply. You might want to learn how someone does their job, introduce your product, or discuss a role you are hiring for.
Here are the questions people ask before trying it.
Are there enough experts on the network?
Your search is not limited to people who have already signed up. We can look for relevant professionals outside our existing users and try to reach them. They decide whether to accept your invitation.
Start with the experience you need. “Someone who managed a warehouse software rollout” gives you a more useful search than “a supply-chain expert.” You can also bring your own list.
Finding a profile does not guarantee we can contact that person or that they will agree to talk. It gives you someone to consider inviting.
Doesn’t paying attract people who just want the money?
It can. But someone can have useful experience and still want to be paid for their time.
Check the experience that matters to your question: what did they personally do, how recently, and at what kind of company? Use your invitation to explain the experience you're looking for. During the conversation, ask them to walk through a real example rather than tell you whether they like your idea.
Pay for their time, not for a positive answer. GOV.UK’s participant guidance treats incentives as a normal part of research, while recognizing that recruitment affects who takes part.
What if some conversations aren’t useful?
That can happen even with relevant people. Start with a few calls before committing a large budget.
Suppose you spend $5,000 on twenty calls and fifteen help you make a decision. You have paid about $333 per useful conversation. That could be worthwhile if it helps you avoid building something nobody needs. It is an example budget, not a package or a promised result.
An answer you disagree with can still be useful. Someone explaining why they would not buy your product may save you more time than someone who likes it.
How often do people accept?
We do not yet have a reliable typical acceptance rate to quote.
A September 25 audit of requests sent June 24–August 26 found 19 bookings or submitted replies out of 827 logged requests: 2.3%. The total includes failed contact attempts and repeat requests. Some older records could not be reliably separated from internal use, so this is not a clean customer benchmark.
Of those acceptances, seven calls and two replies were completed; ten calls were later cancelled. We do not have a newer comparable cohort for a current rate.
For your own trial, keep track of requests sent, acceptances and completed conversations. Those are different results.
Can I upload people I already want to contact?
Yes. Import contacts accepts a CSV with a name and company, email address, or LinkedIn URL for each person. You can also paste email addresses or LinkedIn URLs.
Review the people and prices, write your invitation, and send the requests you choose. Importing a list does not send messages by itself.
Do I have to schedule a call?
No. You can request a call or an asynchronous reply. For a reply, the recipient chooses text or voice.
Choose a call when you want to ask follow-up questions. Choose a reply when one focused answer would help. Calls can be 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes.
Before sending, review the price and the payment and cancellation terms shown for the request. The terms of service explain the conditions.
Is there a reputation system?
We plan to build a stronger reputation system for buyers and experts. A comprehensive system is not available today, so check each person’s relevant experience before inviting them.
For your first request, pick one question and a few people who seem well placed to answer it. Find someone to ask, review their price, and explain what you would like to discuss.