Three Ways to Run Discovery: AI, Teams, or Hybrid

One platform, three interview modes

Stakeholder discovery isn't one-size-fits-all. Some participants are perfectly happy talking to an AI. Others want a human in the room. Some interviews have already happened and you just need the analysis.

Clarity First now supports all three scenarios — and crucially, all three feed into the same analysis pipeline. Same framework. Same agents. Same evidence architecture. The method of interview is a choice. The rigour of analysis is constant.

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Mode 1: AI interviews (Socrates)

This is the default and the most scalable option. Each participant receives a link. No login, no app, no scheduling back-and-forth. They have a natural voice or text conversation with Socrates, our AI interviewer, that typically takes 20-30 minutes.

Socrates uses the Socratic method — following threads, probing for depth, asking "tell me more about that" when something interesting surfaces. It's not a rigid questionnaire. It's an adaptive conversation shaped by the framework you've configured.

Best for:

• Volume — run 30 interviews in parallel
• Consistency — every interview covers the same ground
• Speed — participants complete interviews on their own schedule
• Cost efficiency — each interview uses one credit

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Mode 2: Consultant interviews via Teams

Some stakeholders need a human conversation. Board members who expect personal attention. Sensitive topics where rapport matters. Participants with accessibility needs that make AI interaction difficult.

With Teams integration, the workflow is straightforward:

1. The participant picks a time via the availability picker
2. Your consultant conducts the interview on Microsoft Teams
3. After the meeting, fetch the transcript with one click
4. The transcript flows into the same analysis pipeline

Teams interviews don't consume credits. They're included with any active subscription.

Best for:

• VIPs and board members
• Sensitive or politically charged topics
• Relationship building — when the interview is also a sales touchpoint
• Accessibility — when participants need a human conversation
• Cultural contexts where AI interaction may be inappropriate

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Mode 3: Transcript import

Sometimes interviews have already happened. A phone call with a key stakeholder. An in-person workshop. A recording from another platform. Transcript import lets you bring that material into the analysis without re-interviewing.

Upload the transcript, tag the participant details, and it's analysed alongside everything else.

Best for:

• Interviews conducted before the project started
• Conversations from other platforms or tools
• Phone or in-person interviews you've recorded and transcribed
• Partner tier customers running hybrid engagements

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Mix and match in the same project

The real power is combining modes within a single project. A typical pattern might be:

• AI interviews for the broader organisation — department heads, team leads, frontline staff
• Teams interviews for the CEO, CFO, and board sponsor — where personal rapport matters
• Transcript import for the workshop that happened last month — no need to redo it

All three sets of interviews appear in the same project dashboard. All are processed by the same agents — Humboldt extracts themes, Bayes detects patterns, Darwin synthesises findings. The final report draws on everything, with no difference in analytical depth based on interview method.

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What about consistency?

This is the question consultants rightly ask. If some interviews are AI-led and others are human-led, won't the data be inconsistent?

The answer is: the analysis is always consistent. The framework defines the topics. The agents analyse based on content, not method. Whether a quote came from a Socrates conversation or a Teams call, it's the same evidence in the same pipeline.

For consultant-led interviews, we recommend using the framework topics as a conversation guide. This ensures coverage consistency — you're exploring the same ground the AI would, just with a human touch.

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The economics

AI interviews use one credit each. Teams interviews and imported transcripts are included free with any active subscription or credit pack.

This means you can strategically allocate your credits. Use AI for volume. Use Teams for depth. Import what you already have. The analysis cost is the same regardless.

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Try it yourself

The free demo uses our AI interviewer. To see Teams integration and transcript import in action, book a 30-minute walkthrough or explore our pricing to get started with a paid plan.