Four routing decisions
Most SMBs pick one primary vendor and one fallback. Document the choice in the admin credentials screen so future you is not guessing.
OpenAI for polish, Together, Groq, or DeepSeek for volume extraction, common split we see in pilots. Your mix may differ; write it down anyway.
Failover is boring until the primary vendor hiccups on a deadline day. Configure backup keys before you need them.
Match model to workload
| Workload | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Client-facing drafts | Quality | Human review always |
| Bulk extraction | Cost + speed | Cheaper model often enough |
| Classification / triage | Latency | Short outputs |
| Vendor outage | Failover key | Configure before you need it |
Cheaper models on classification save money without touching client-facing drafts. Route quality-sensitive apps explicitly.
Review quarterly
Provider pricing and model names change. Put a 30-minute quarterly calendar invite with finance and the admin who owns keys, compare usage dashboards to queue volume.
Bring finance a one-page summary: queue volume, provider bill, top three apps by usage. Decisions get easier when data is boring and regular.
Document the decision
In the admin credentials screen, add a one-line comment: primary for client drafts, secondary for bulk extract, failover for outages. Future admins will thank you.
Revisit when your top app changes, switching everything because a blog post praised a new model wastes time.
Field notes from recent pilots
Failover keys saved a deadline when a vendor had a two-hour blip, cheap insurance.
Bulk extraction on economical models freed budget for polish on client-facing drafts.
Quarterly reviews caught model deprecations before apps silently degraded.
Admins who note ‘why this key’ prevent mysterious routing changes six months later.
Do not chase every launch blog, chase stable output on your top three apps.
Further reading
Image credits
- Developer reviewing data and code on a laptop · Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
- Business handshake after a policy review meeting · Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash
- Small business team in a working session at a table · Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash
Prefer vendor documentation screenshots when available. Otherwise use real stock photos (Unsplash/Pexels) with credits. Do not use placeholder dark-template SVG illustrations.
Next step
Ready to move from reading to doing? Start with a pilot or talk to our team.