How to find online reviews for intranet?

When you’re in the market for new software, where do you turn for information? The 2021 Buyer Behavior Report from G2 reveals that most people look to the software company’s website—though only 38% find it to be the most trustworthy source.

It makes sense when you think about it: every software company has poured a lot of time and energy into their website with the express purpose of convincing potential buyers—like you—of their product’s worth.

Even if an intranet provider has a great website and blog, that doesn’t necessarily mean their products are right for your organization. In this article, we’ll share five methods you can use to find unbiased intranet reviews to supplement the information on the vendor’s site and give you a fuller picture of the intranet platform. We’ll also share our top tips for using these reviews effectively once you find them.

How to find genuine intranet reviews that can help you make a purchasing decision?

People who have actually experienced an intranet platform are the finest source of information about it. However, how do you go about contacting those individuals? You could try the following strategies:

1. Contact users whose success stories have been posted.

Many software companies showcase satisfied customers through case studies and testimonials. The best way to learn about a software platform is from people who have already used it.

If you come across customer testimonial videos or case studies, reach out to those individuals on LinkedIn. A lot of people enjoy sharing their thoughts, and many will be more than happy to schedule a quick call to chat about the intranet software.

You might wish to question about the following:

• How simple is it to operate the software?
• How did the application process go?
• How is the continued assistance going?
• Why did you pick this intranet instead of another?
• What would you have liked to know before starting your intranet?

2. Check trustworthy review websites

When looking for accurate employee intranet reviews, software comparison sites are a great resource. However, it’s crucial to stick with reputable sites, like G2, Capterra, and Software Advice. These platforms allow users to share their opinions on all types of software, including employee intranets. Additionally, each review is independently verified, so there’s a lower chance of seeing fake reviews.

These sites also have the benefit of being able to filter reviews according to various factors, such as company size, role, industry, and region. So, if you’re an IT support engineer in mid-sized marketing. You can narrow down your search results to only display reviews from people who have similar profiles.

3. Make a list of your existing clients using Crunchbase.

You can also use a company insights platform, like Crunchbase, to make a list of companies that use the intranet software you’re investigating. From there, you can look for the right people within those companies on LinkedIn and contact them to ask about their experience. If you’re unsure of who to search for, try looking for leaders in HR, IT, or internal communications.

Keep in mind that the people you reach out to are doing you a favor by speaking with you. To make it worth their while, consider having a conversation over a virtual lunch. As a token of gratitude, give them an Uber Eats gift card.

4. View the comments made by users on social media.

Social media is another great place to look for honest, unbiased opinions about an intranet platform. Start by checking out the company’s page and reading through some of the comments – which could be positive or negative.

It’s also a good idea to search for the company name so you can see other posts people have published about the software. Just keep in mind that one of the main reasons people tag companies on social media is to lodge a complaint. Looking at how the company responds to complaints can be telling, as it gives you an idea of what their customer service looks like.

5. Free Demo

The best way to develop your own opinion of a platform is to see it in action. Most intranet providers will happily walk you through their software and answer your questions during a demo call. Make sure you come prepared with a list of specific features you want to see demonstrated, as well as any questions you want answered. Here are some questions to get you started:

• Which functionalities are most and least used?
• What distinguishes your features from those of your rivals?
• What is the operation of the intranet page builder?
• What is the minimum time for rollout?
• Which features are the most challenging for users to use?

4 tips for using reviews to choose the best intranet software

The process doesn’t really start unless you understand where to search for intranet reviews. You need to know how to use and comprehend the evaluations you find in order to choose the best intranet software for your company. Here are a few pointers to remember:

Choose only the most relevant reviews.

To make online reviews more manageable, you can filter them to only show the most relevant ones. There are a few ways to do this, as follows. First, you can use sites like G2, as mentioned before, to find reviews from organizations similar to your own. Secondly, you can filter reviews by theme by searching for specific keywords related to the software aspects that matter most to you. For example, if ease of use is key, you might search for keywords like “user interface”, “learning curve” or “deployment”.

Verify the reliability of intranet reviews twice

If you want to base your purchasing decisions off of reviews, it’s crucial to confirm that the review is authentic. But, not all reviews are trustworthy. There are some signs, though, that can help you determine if a review is fake. Some common indicators that a review may not be genuine are as follows:

• Unverified posts: Genuine reviewers typically use their real identities when reviewing rather than going by a pseudonym, and the business they work for should also have a website.
• Either positive or negative: Most reviews include that positive and negative criticism; those that slant only one way may not be authentic.
• General statements: Actual reviews, as opposed to generic ones, include precise information about the characteristics and functions of the product.

Check out both positive as well as negative reviews.

While average ratings on sites like Capterra and G2 can be helpful for comparing different software tools, it’s always a good idea to read some negative reviews as well. This way, you can learn which features people didn’t like—which could help guide your decision if they’re particularly important to your organization. Even if a company has mostly negative reviews, it’s still worth reading the positive ones, too. This tells you what the provider is doing well and might give you some things to look out for in reviews of other products.

Keep track of the launch date of reviews.

Another significant factor to think about when reading online reviews is the date of publication. The software can evolve a lot in brief periods, so reviews from over 18 months ago are probably outdated. Also, software providers usually base updates on the feedback they receive from customers. That means that the very things people were complaining about six months ago might be the areas in the company that is excelling now!

To help you select an intranet, read reviews of intranet software.

Choosing an intranet solution is a significant decision, and you should go into it armed with all the information you can find. Yes, that means looking at the intranet platform’s website — but you shouldn’t just trust what they say. Instead, check out their social media, read some reviews on reputable sites, and ask for a demo when you’re ready.

By the way, how about seeing Creative Social Intranet in action? Book a free demo call with a member of our team to learn more about our intranet platform.