There are hundreds of products on the market – not only would it take time and resources to write reviews of all of them, but the final reports would be too unwieldy for readers. We therefore have to limit which products make it in, so that the resulting report presents those platforms we think should be on readers’ short lists. This is something we take very seriously and consider carefully.
There are six areas we consider when deciding which products to include.
More clients are specifying the need for a mature product with a good reputation, and we have taken that as a sign of a broader industry requirement. Therefore, we would expect that either the product or the vendor should have been in the marketplace for a few years, plus have a good reputation among existing clients. Likewise, vendors should have a good range of customers on their books and / or clients from outside their home country.
Innovative or unique products will always stand out in the marketplace, so we are happy to explore what features are on offer. Those that truly stand out are more likely to be included in our report, but we will reserve judgement based on what we see across all products.
Password protected. The password has been sent to participating vendor representatives.
Password hint: ClearBox (no spaces).
Our knowledge of the product and its capabilities are a big driver for our decision making. We rely on information on vendor websites (as we can’t have demonstrations from them all), in much the same way as practitioners, so it’s important that features, benefits, case studies etc are clearly presented. Otherwise we won’t be able to see what benefits a product brings, therefore it is unlikely to be included in our report. Where we do decide to include a brand new products in our report, they will begin life as a ‘product overview‘.
Our thoughts about a product, once we’ve seen it, will influence our decision whether it should be a full review, product overview, or be excluded from the review process. Our review process allows us to form structured and balanced opinions about products, which we are happy to challenge as a platform evolves. We expect an entire product to offer users strong features, or a particular element that’s very well done / innovative. Our experience of working with vendors is also a factor in this category. While we don’t expect to be treated exactly like a practitioner / potential customer, we do expect to have a relationship built on mutual respect and understanding of expertise. Where the experience is contrary to this expectation, we have to question how a practitioner would be treated and therefore will exclude vendors on that basis.
This is about participation in webinars, white papers, blog posts etc; anything that enriches the broader industry and helps practitioners. This is important because vendors that are active in the industry give clients faith that they know what they are doing and suggests that business is invested in the product’s future.
Market presence and marketing activities play a small part in our decision making. This is primarily because clients approach us knowing about some vendors and the absence of certain products would be noted by readers. We appreciate that not all vendors are blessed with the same marketing budgets as others, so this is a more minor point than others on this page.
If you would like to be considered for one of our review reports, then please see our ‘How the review process works‘ page and guidance before visiting ‘How to be involved in our reports‘.
Password protected. The password has been sent to participating vendor representatives.
Password hint: ClearBox (no spaces).
