AI Vendor Exit Checklist for Small Businesses

1. Exit inventory

Fill this out before cancelling, switching vendors, or letting a trial lapse.

AI tool/vendor: [name]
Current plan / renewal date: [plan + date]
Billing owner: [person]
Workflow owner: [person]
Primary uses: [drafting, inbox triage, marketing, support, SOPs, research, other]
Connected systems: [Gmail, CRM, website forms, Slack, Zapier, Drive, calendar, other]
Shared logins or seats: [who has access]
Business-critical prompts/templates stored inside the tool: [yes/no + where]
Customer or employee data stored inside the tool: [yes/no + what type]
Must keep until: [date / reason]
Exit decision: [cancel / downgrade / replace / pause / keep until review]

2. Data and prompt export checklist

• Export saved prompts, custom instructions, automations, chat history that contains SOP decisions, and reusable examples.
• Copy prompt owners, version notes, approved uses, forbidden uses, and human-review rules into your internal SOP or prompt registry.
• Download invoices, renewal notices, contract terms, and cancellation confirmation screens for the business records folder.
• Move any customer-facing draft templates into a reviewed company doc before deleting the account.
• Do not export private customer data into a new tool unless the owner has approved the data boundary and the new vendor terms.

3. Connected workflow shutoff

AI tools often stay connected after someone believes the subscription is cancelled. Check these places:

[ ] Browser extensions removed or disabled
[ ] CRM/API keys revoked
[ ] Zapier/Make/workflow steps paused
[ ] Gmail/Drive/Calendar integrations disconnected
[ ] Shared inbox or chatbot handoff updated
[ ] Website form/chat widget no longer sends to the old tool
[ ] Team bookmark, SOP, and onboarding docs updated
[ ] Replacement owner named for any workflow that still needs human follow-up

4. Team update template

Subject: AI tool change: [tool name]

Team — we are [cancelling/downgrading/replacing] [tool] on [date].

Use this instead: [approved replacement or manual workflow].
Do not paste customer, employee, pricing, legal, medical, financial, or security-sensitive information into unapproved AI tools.
Saved prompts/templates moved here: [internal link].
Owner for questions: [name].
Human-review rule stays the same: no AI-generated customer message, policy claim, price, deadline, diagnosis, or promise goes out without review.

5. AI prompt for the exit review

You are helping a small business review whether it can safely cancel, downgrade, or replace an AI tool.

Known facts:
- Tool/vendor: [name]
- Current uses: [uses]
- Connected systems: [systems]
- Data types involved: [data]
- Renewal/cancellation date: [date]
- Replacement option: [option]

Create a practical exit checklist with:
1. data/prompts to export,
2. integrations to disconnect,
3. SOP/team docs to update,
4. customer-facing risks,
5. a final owner approval checklist.

Do not invent vendor policies, legal requirements, security promises, data retention rules, prices, deadlines, or cancellation terms. Flag unknowns for human review.

6. Human-review stop rules

• Stop if the tool contains customer, employee, financial, legal, health, security, or proprietary data and no owner has approved export/deletion.
• Stop if the AI tool is connected to live customer messaging, website chat, CRM automation, or billing workflows.
• Stop if cancellation might delete prompts, customer notes, knowledge bases, or audit history before they are exported.
• Stop if the replacement tool's data policy or access controls have not been reviewed by the business owner.