# FAQ — Field Survey, pricing, and how we work

### What does Helixfield actually install?

A working agent system on the current best platform door — Grok bots, OpenAI Astra, Claude, Gemini, Cursor, or what ships next — plus the operating method we install now. The loop is the repeating work. The graph is the institutional memory agents must read before they act and write after they act. When a stronger method lands, Helixfield adopts it.

### Which AI platforms do you work with?

We evaluate and implement the newest capable agent and model platforms from leading AI institutions as they ship. Today that includes OpenAI (GPT-6 Astra and ChatGPT Business / API), xAI (Grok / Grok bots), Anthropic (Claude), Google (Gemini), and Cursor (Teams / agent computers). Bring-your-own or the next release is in scope. We install on the door that fits access, data residency, cost, and owner preference — not a partnership badge.

### Is Loop & Graph a forever lock-in?

No. Loop & Graph is Helixfield’s current operating method: loops, a fact graph, pack → act → extract → ingest. It is versioned. When a stronger method, architecture, or model generation ships, Helixfield leads with that. Client installs are designed or upgraded on the new standard — not frozen on last year’s metaphor.

### How is this different from buying ChatGPT, Claude, or Grok seats?

Seats are access. A Helixfield engagement is an operating system: named loops, shared memory, evaluation, instruction, and a retainer if you want the system kept current. Most companies that only buy seats get a week of novelty and then drift.

### What is a Helixfield Field Survey?

A Field Survey is Helixfield’s first paid step: $9,500 for two to three weeks. It maps one named loop, ranks whether an agent belongs on that work, recommends a vendor door (OpenAI Astra, Grok, Claude, Gemini, Cursor, BYO, or what just shipped), and writes a 90-day install plan. It does not include production agents. You are not obliged to buy an install afterward.

### What does an engagement cost?

Field Surveys are $9,500. Production installs run $24,000, $36,000, or $48,000 depending on how many agents and systems are in scope. Instruction days are $6,500 to $18,000. Operating retainers are $3,800, $6,800, or $11,500 per month. Circuit ($6,800) is a three-month minimum, then month to month. Vendor seats and API usage are billed to the client.

### Can Helixfield install agents on Microsoft 365, Salesforce, or NetSuite?

Yes, when that is where the named loop already lives. Helixfield installs into systems the company already pays for — Microsoft 365 / Outlook, Salesforce, NetSuite, ERP, or the desk tools the work actually touches. The Field Survey names the tools and the permission model. Helixfield does not publish invented case studies on those stacks.

### Who is this for?

Mid-market operating companies and professional firms — typically $3 million to $80 million in revenue — that can name the work that repeats and will appoint a human owner. Helixfield does not take consumer app builds, speculative startups, or work that requires unsupervised legal or clinical advice.

### What use cases do you install first?

Three loops: a twelve-hour engagement pack for professional firms, an exception floor for manufacturing and distribution, and an aging desk for cash follow-through. They are operating patterns, not invented case studies. Other loops come after the first one pays back.

### Where is Helixfield based?

Northbrook, Illinois. Studios and installs are done on-site in the Chicago metro when it helps, and remotely across the United States when it does not.

### Will you train our team, or only build the system?

Both. Instruction is a first-class service. A system without named owners is a demo. Studios teach people how to pack, reject, accept, and run a weekly cadence.

### What do you need from us to start?

A briefing: the work that repeats, the tools you already pay for, and the person who will own the loop. Platform or method preference is optional — we will recommend the current best door. Helixfield replies inside one business day and will say no if the first loop is unclear. The path is briefing → Field Survey → install → named owner → operate.

### How fast can a first agent be live?

A Field Survey takes two to three weeks. A single-agent install is typically four to six weeks after that. Companies that skip the survey and jump to a bot usually redo the work.