Free Trial Or Guided Evaluation: Which Route Fits Your Operation?

The two routes answer different questions

A free trial and a guided evaluation are not two names for the same thing. They solve different buying problems. The free trial is deliberately light: it lets a champion see the product shape, activate a starter tenant, scan setup QR codes, and run the first dispatch-to-Android radio check without waiting for a project.

Guided Evaluation is the assisted route for teams where the answer depends on real operating conditions. It is better when the team needs help shaping the use case, preparing devices, training users, visiting site, and agreeing what success should look like before a wider rollout.

That distinction matters because push-to-talk over cellular is not just an app decision. In live operations it touches habits, supervisors, duty managers, devices, connectivity, escalation, and the confidence people have when the day gets noisy.

When the free trial is enough

Use the free trial when one person can explore the basic workflow. Secure Radio creates a focused starter tenant with one dispatch console identity, one mobile radio identity, one OPS channel, and one OPS talkgroup. The onboarding email provides the dispatch link, Android app download, checksum, setup instructions, and short-lived QR activation links.

The trial is best for proving first-contact product feel. Can the dispatch console be opened? Can the Android app be installed? Can the setup QR be scanned? Can the operator set a PIN? Can dispatch and the radio reach the same live operation?

• Good fit: product champion, founder, operations lead, or technical evaluator.
• Goal: prove activation speed and understand the field plus dispatch workflow.
• Expected support: self-service onboarding, public documentation, and light follow-up.
• Device assumption: use an available compatible Android device where possible.

When Guided Evaluation is the better commercial motion

Choose Guided Evaluation when the buyer is asking a more serious question: will this improve our live operation? That usually requires more than a login. It may involve an in-person visit, agreed evaluation scope, help with hardware setup, field-user training, dispatch workflow design, and a review at the end.

Secure Radio currently positions Guided Evaluation at £2,500-£5,000 ex VAT depending on location, team size, and assistance required. Hardware, accessories, and SIM cards are not included in that fee, although Secure Radio can help procure, supply, configure, and set up compatible devices and connectivity at additional cost.

• Good fit: one site, one team, one real shift, event, venue, facility, or transport operation.
• Goal: prove operational fit, not just product activation.
• Expected support: discovery, guided onboarding, setup help, one in-person visit, training, and evaluation review.
• Device assumption: compatible PoC or rugged Android devices should be ready, procured, or supplied as part of the evaluation plan.

How to choose

If the main risk is uncertainty about what Secure Radio feels like, start with the free trial. If the main risk is adoption, hardware readiness, site conditions, supervision, or operational change, use Guided Evaluation.

The most productive buyers often use both. The free trial creates early confidence and vocabulary. Guided Evaluation then turns that first impression into a structured operational proof.