> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.os.default.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# AI account research in Default with Deep Research and Parallel

> Research accounts on the live web inside a Default workflow with the Deep Research node, powered by Parallel, and when to use it instead of an enrichment waterfall.

AI account research in Default runs through the **Deep Research** node, which sends a research agent
from [Parallel](https://parallel.ai) to the live web from inside a workflow and returns the answers as
typed fields. Later nodes can write those fields to your CRM, post them to Slack, or branch on them.

Use it for questions that no data provider answers, such as whether a company is hiring sales reps or
whether its site has a public pricing page. For standard person and company data, use an
[enrichment waterfall](/enrichment/waterfalls).

<Note>
  **Deep Research and Parallel are in beta.** They are turned on per workspace. If **Deep Research**
  does not appear in **Add Node**, contact Default.
</Note>

## Deep Research or an enrichment waterfall

| | Enrichment waterfall | Deep Research |
| - | - | - |
| **Where the data comes from** | Provider databases: **Clearbit**, **Apollo**, **People Data Labs**, and **Wiza** | The live web, read by Parallel's research agent |
| **What you get back** | Standard person and company fields, such as **Title**, **Industry**, and **Employee Count** | Only the fields you declare in the prompt, each typed as **String**, **Number**, **Boolean**, **URL**, or **Currency** |
| **Speed** | Returns when the slowest provider in the waterfall answers | Takes longer, because the agent browses web sources. Narrow questions return sooner than broad ones. |
| **Cost** | Credits for each provider that returns data | 1 credit for each research run Parallel completes |
| **Best for** | Firmographics and contact details with a known home | Signals only the web can answer: hiring, pricing pages, growth priorities, fit against your criteria |

Most account research workflows use both: an **Enrich Data** node first for the standard fields, then
a **Deep Research** node for the questions the providers cannot answer. Deep Research can use the
enriched values in its prompt, for example the company's domain.

## How Deep Research runs in a workflow

1. **You write the research prompt.** In **Research prompt**, describe what to find, where to look,
   and how to answer. Type `{{` to insert workflow data, such as the company domain.
2. **You declare output variables.** Type `{{` and select **Create output variable** for each answer
   you need, with a name and a type. Default builds the node's **Output schema** from them.
3. **Parallel researches the web.** Default sends the prompt and the schema to Parallel. The
   **Provider** field is fixed to **Parallel**.
4. **Default checks the answer.** The result must contain every declared variable with the declared
   type. If a variable is missing or has the wrong type, the node reports a failed result instead of
   passing bad data on.
5. **Later nodes use the fields.** Each variable appears in the data picker for the nodes after
   **Deep Research**.

If the research fails, the node returns a failed result and the workflow keeps running, so a later
**Multi-Branch** node can send the lead down a fallback path. For every field and option, see
[Deep Research](/workflows/steps-research).

## Build an account research workflow

This example researches every company that requests a demo, sorts it into a fit verdict, and writes
the result to the CRM.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start from the form">
    Add the **Form Submission** trigger and set **Connected Form** to your demo request form.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enrich the company">
    Add **Enrich Data** from the **Enrichment** section. Set **Enrichment target** to **Company** and
    **Enrichment source** to your waterfall.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Deep Research">
    Add **Deep Research** from the **Enrichment** section. In **Research prompt**, insert the company
    domain and ask narrow questions. Create 3 output variables:

    * `hiringSales`, a **Boolean**: whether the company's careers page lists open sales roles.
    * `hasPricingPage`, a **Boolean**: whether the company's site has a public pricing page.
    * `fitVerdict`, a **String**: set to exactly 1 of `Strong Fit`, `Disqualified`, or `Human Check`.

    Every declared variable must come back with the right type, or the node reports a failed result.
    Ask for answers the agent can always give, such as `true` or `false`, rather than values that
    might not exist.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Branch on the verdict">
    Add a **Multi-Branch** node with 1 branch per verdict. Leave the **Else** branch pointed at a safe
    path, such as a Slack message for review, because research output comes from a language model.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write and share the results">
    Find the CRM record with **Match Record**, then add **Update Record** on the **Match** branch to
    write the variables to fields on that record. Add **Send Slack Message** to tell the owner what
    the research found.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test on real companies">
    Select **Test**, then **Run Test**, with a few companies you know well, and read each
    **Deep Research** result in the run log before you publish.
  </Step>
</Steps>

An example prompt for the **Deep Research** step:

```text theme={null}
Research the company at {{company domain}}.
1. Check its careers page. Set hiringSales to true if it lists at least 1 open sales role, otherwise false.
2. Check its website. Set hasPricingPage to true if it has a public pricing page, otherwise false.
3. Set fitVerdict to exactly 1 of: Strong Fit, Disqualified, Human Check.
   Strong Fit: B2B software company with a sales team. Disqualified: agency, consultancy, or student project.
   Use Human Check when the evidence is unclear.
```

In the product, `{{company domain}}` is a data chip you insert with `{{`, not typed text.

## Write good research prompts

* **Ask narrow questions.** 1 precise question per variable beats a long list of loose ones.
* **Declare several typed variables.** Typed fields leave the agent less room to drift than 1
  free-text summary.
* **Set the allowed answers.** For a verdict, list the exact labels and what each means.
* **Say what "not found" looks like.** State the value to return when the web has no answer.
* **Keep firmographics in the waterfall.** Employee count, industry, and funding come faster and more
  consistently from providers.

The [Deep Research](/workflows/steps-research#best-practices) page has more guidance.

## What AI account research costs

* **1 credit per completed run.** Each research run that Parallel completes uses 1 credit, even when
  the answer then fails the output check.
* **Failed runs are free.** A run that fails or does not complete at Parallel uses no credits.
* **No Parallel account needed.** You do not need a Parallel account or API key. Default runs the
  research and bills it in Default credits.

The **Deep Research** node shows `1 credit` on the workflow canvas, and the run log shows the credits
each run used.

## Where research fits in a workflow

Research can take longer than enrichment, so place it with timing in mind:

* **Before routing,** when the verdict decides the owner or the queue. Keep the prompt narrow.
* **After the meeting is booked,** when the research only informs the rep. In a form workflow that
  shows a scheduler, a research step before **Display Scheduler** delays the booking page by the
  length of the research run.
* **On a CRM trigger,** such as **CRM Record Created**, when the research should run for records that
  arrive without a form.

## Research a list in Tables

<Note>
  **Tables and Parallel in Tables are in beta** and turned on per workspace.
</Note>

In Tables, Parallel also appears as a provider in the **Enrich** action, so you can research every row
of a view at once:

1. Open the view, select **Actions**, then **Enrich**, and choose **Parallel** on the
   **Single Provider** tab.
2. In **Prompt**, write the question for each row. Default includes the row's email or domain
   automatically. Type `/` to reference another column of the row.
3. Optionally, describe the shape of the answer in **Output Schema**. Without one, Parallel returns
   text.
4. Select **Run Action**. Each row's completed research run uses 1 credit.

Column references are not available on views built from an uploaded CSV yet.

Related: [Lead enrichment software from Default](https://www.default.com/product/lead-enrichment-software)


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