Research Agents
Manufacturing
Missing data
Shipped a product field
Illustrative case study · The outcome shown is a modeled decision, not a measured client result.
Who needed the answer
The product lead for an AI sales-research agent that tells reps what each account will require before buying.
Why they needed help
Reps were spending weeks preparing SOC 2 evidence for food manufacturers, and no one knew how often buyers asked for it.
What they asked
Do mid-size US food manufacturers require a SOC 2 report before buying software?
What the experts said
No: most ask for a security questionnaire instead
6 of 7 former IT and security leads said a security questionnaire is the usual requirement. 1 said SOC 2 is needed when the software touches production systems.
Sample responses
“We send a security questionnaire. I can’t remember the last time we asked for a SOC 2.”
Former IT procurement lead, US food manufacturer ($500M–1B revenue), left 2025
answer_id
ans_afd9d5ab
respondent_id
rsp_f9ee67c1
“If it touches the plant floor, we want the SOC 2. Otherwise no.”
Former IT security manager, US food manufacturer ($1–2B revenue), left 2024
answer_id
ans_4e114f5c
respondent_id
rsp_81d79f61
Illustrative quotes. In the product, every answer carries an answer_id and a respondent_id. The answer_id links to the full response and when it was given; the respondent_id links to the expert’s screened profile without revealing who they are, so any number can be traced back to its source.
About the experts and method
Who answered
Former IT procurement and security leads at food manufacturers with $200M–2B revenue
Responses
All 7 answered · 1 yes · 6 no
Safeguards
General practice only; no named company's policies or vendors
Business impact
From the findings via Ask Synquery Connector, the team decided to return “security questionnaire” as the default compliance step.
The agent flags SOC 2 only when the software touches production systems.