From what you’re describing, it sounds like you need more than just a developer — you need a team that handles the whole lifecycle, from discovery and architecture design to integration and post-launch optimization. When we were looking into AI agents for internal workflow automation, we realized that a solid provider should offer consulting, PoC or prototyping, custom model development, integration with existing systems, and ongoing support. I came across this page
https://sam-solutions.com/services/ai-agents-development-services/ while researching AI agents development, and it actually breaks down what a full service typically includes without sounding too salesy. What helped us most was starting with a clear use case and asking potential vendors how they measure ROI and performance improvements. If they can’t explain the implementation stages clearly, that’s usually a red flag.