So, you are in the process of investing in an intranet, and are starting to reach out to a couple of vendors to arrange a demo.
Intranet systems can vary based on a number of different factors, and so it’s important that you come away from a demo with the information you need to determine whether the intranet solution fits your use case, and ultimately solves your pain points.
To help out, we have put together a list of important questions to ask when in an intranet demo call.
Happeo is an award winning intranet platform for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. If you would like to learn more, sign up for a demo with us too!
Features
The first port of call when beginning a demo may well be to discuss features. As well as making sure the vendor offers the features that are important to you, also ask:
- How do your standard features (think employee directory, search, key integrations and page creation) differ from that offered by your competitors?
- Which features provide your current customers with the most value?
- Which features are used the least?
- Is it possible to see a copy of your feature roadmap, to get an idea of what is coming up?
- How do you inform your future roadmap, and how does customer feedback play a role?
Onboarding
As much as some customers might have a clear idea of what information needs to be stored on the intranet and how it should be structured, others may not, especially if this is the first time your organization is investing in a centralized intranet (information structure is key, as this will feed into adoption, and ultimately your intranet ROI).
So, it’s important to establish how much support you will be offered in the onboarding process in terms of structuring the intranet. For example, will there be a number of in-person workshops? Or does the support mainly consist of on-line guides.
Once the structure of the intranet has been established, it’s time to actually build it. The intranet page builder is an important part of the offering, as it determines how quickly you can get up and running, and how easily you can make updates.
Make sure to ask:
- Can you show me how the intranet page builder works?
- How much training do your customers normally need in order to start using the page builder?
- Is there a demo page builder that I can try out myself?
- To what extent does the page builder allow me to brand the intranet myself (branding offers a feeling of belonging and ownership to the intranet, so the ability to fully brand the intranet is a key ingredient in adoption.)
- What is your average intranet rollout time? (The average is somewhere around 1.2 years)
User experience
The ease with which your employees will be able to browse, find and communicate information will determine your intranet adoption rate. So this is one of the most important areas to ask about. Below are a couple of questions that will help you to determine the user friendliness of the platform.
- What are the areas of your intranet where users normally struggle with the experience? (And are there any planned improvements?)
- Would you be able to provide data on adoption rates in your customer base? Ask for metrics such as:
- What % of your user base has visited the intranet over the last month
- What % of your user base has engaged (posted something, commented on something, reacted to something) over the past 3 months
- What % of your user base has visited the intranet less than 5 times over the last 6 months? - And do you know why?
- Where a customer has churned because of lack of adoption, what was the main cause of that lack of adoption?
- What is the average number of support tickets submitted per customer per year? (this question will give you an idea of how intuitive the system is for current customers, as well as how frequently bugs come up)
Pricing
The price needs to fit your use case. Ask a couple of questions about the pricing structure to ensure you are only paying for the things you need.
Integrations
For this part it’s important to have a list prepared of the applications that your intranet will need to integrate with. Think specifically about where information in your organization is currently stored, and how your team members currently communicate. Common integration requests include Google Workspace, MS 365, Slack, Trello, Miro and Jira.
Security
Your intranet is your knowledge hub, and that knowledge needs to be secure. Be sure to ask about the type of certifications and technology that the provider has in place to protect your information.
- Does your intranet conform to the ISO 27001 certification?
- Does the intranet support single sign on (SSO)?
- Is the intranet GDPR compliant?
- Does the intranet conform to the security standards required of an intranet in my industry (for example if in Healthcare, does the intranet conform to HIPAA standards)?
Support
Align with the sales rep on the kind of support offered after the intranet goes live. Will you have an account manager? Or will the support mainly be provided in written form in the online knowledge base? Below are a couple of other questions to give you a feel for the support process:
- What is your support ticket response time?
- How often is the knowledge based updated, and how often is it visited? (This will give you an indication of how useful current customers find the knowledge base)
Reviews or customer case studies
Make sure to ask the vendor for case studies of current customers who have experienced similar pain points as your organization.
Tip: It can also be helpful to talk to current customers directly about their experiences with the vendor. Use LinkedIn to reach out current customers listed in success stories and see if they would be available for a quick chat to discuss the platform.(this is particularly helpful if the pain points mentioned in the success story is something you regconize in your company too).
It’s also worth browsing software review sites like G2, Capterra and Software Advice for more balanced reviews of the platform.
Demo call with Happeo?
Happeo is an industry leading intranet platform trusted by industry leaders. Book a demo with Happeo to learn about how we can help you meet your business goals.
