How to choose a feature-rich AND user-friendly board portal

However, a platform that isn’t intuitive and doesn’t speed things up is not going to deliver results. In order to identify the best solution, organisations need to ensure that they are evaluating the options based on performance and practicality.

In this post, we highlight the key things to consider when purchasing a board portal platform:

Is it user-friendly?
A great way to establish whether a platform will be easy to use is to ask for a product demonstration or trial. It’s also valuable to read customer reviews, providing first-hand insight into the user experience.

By 2020, its estimated that 50% of the UK workforce will work remotely. It’s therefore fundamental that your platform of choice is readily accessible on multiple devices, online and offline without losing access to key capabilities.

Particularly while onboarding, it’s also important to consider whether your vendor-of-choice offers adequate support, accessible through your preferred channels at times that will work for your organisation. Some technology companies offer various support packages, so make sure you pick one that’s suitable for your users.

Does it have the right functionality?
It’s both difficult and crucial to strike the perfect balance between feature-rich and user-friendly technology. Not only should you consider what functionality is required now, but also what your organisation will need in the future.

To take full advantage of the efficiencies that can be gained, it’s important that a board portal product’s features support activity both in and out of the boardroom. Individual elements of functionality such as e-signing may not sound that important, but collectively having a suite of time-saving tools is what will make the difference.

Another key aspiration of organisations who adopt board portals is the ability to collaborate more efficiently. Do not assume that this will be a given; check how the platform will support you with this goal and whether it is right for your business. For example, can board members annotate documents and share them with key stakeholders from the platform? Can they facilitate quicker decision-making by holding digital votes on key issues? Is this the functionality that would be important to them?

As mentioned at the start of this section, it’s also important to consider the longevity of any technology platform. Choosing a vendor that is flexible and accepts customers feedback is highly valuable, giving you more opportunity to influence the roadmap and have confidence in the platform continuing to support your needs.

In summary, when selecting an application consider three key things:

  • What does my organisation need
  • What do our board members need
  • Does this solution offer both the functionality and usability required to make it a success for our organisation

If you need help with identifying what board portal platform would best suit your business, download our buying guide here or contact us today for more advice.

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