Getting started
What to ask before signing up
Eight questions worth asking any platform, this one included.
Almost every demo shows the same thing: what the tool does well. The questions that separate a good decision from regret eight months later are different, and none is about features.
The eight questions
- 1
How do I get everything out if I leave?
In what format, how long it takes, and whether it includes the original documents, not just a listing.
- 2
Where is my data and who can see it?
Country, subprocessors, and which people at the vendor have technical access.
- 3
What happens if I stop paying?
Whether it locks, whether it is deleted, and how long I have to retrieve.
- 4
What breaks when they change the product?
With how much notice, and whether what you built still works.
- 5
Who answers when something fails on a Friday?
In what language and with what response commitment.
- 6
What does it really cost in year two?
With foreseeable growth, not the demo scenario.
- 7
What do I need from my IT team?
If the answer is "nothing" and a project turns out to be needed, now you know.
- 8
Can I try it on a case of mine before deciding?
With your real documents, not the sample ones.
Important
The first and third are most often skipped and cost the most. A platform you cannot leave with your documentation is not a tool: it is a dependency.
What to check as well as ask
| Aspect | How to actually check it |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | Have someone on your team use it without training |
| Speed | With one of your large documents, not a sample |
| Support | By sending a real question before signing |
| Security | By asking which certifications they hold and from when |
Watch out
Be wary of answers beginning "that's on the roadmap". Buy on what it does today: what is coming may come, and your problem is this quarter's.
And about this platform specifically
Worth knowing
If any of the eight gets an evasive answer, that is itself an answer. It does not need to be perfect: it needs to be clear.
›What if I already signed without asking?
Ask now: the first and third matter just as much.
›How long should a trial last?
As long as it takes to run one real case end to end.
›Are references worth asking for?
From someone your size and sector, yes. From a flagship case, little.
A real case
The situation
A company compares three tools by their feature lists.
What you do
- Asks all three the eight questions
- Trials a real case with the two that answer clearly
What you get
Finds one cannot export original documents and rules it out before signing.
The situation
You wonder whether the data can be recovered the day you want to change.
What you do
- Asks for a test export before signing
What you get
The exit is verified rather than assumed.
The situation
Nobody clarifies what happens to the documents if you stop paying.
What you do
- Asks about the access period and the delivery format
What you get
The answer is in writing before you depend on it.
The situation
Comparison is by list price without knowing what each action consumes.
What you do
- Asks which activities consume and which do not
What you get
The comparison uses expected usage rather than a price tag.
The situation
A tool looks complete but nobody has tried the supplier side.
What you do
- Asks for a trial with a real external recipient
What you get
You see the half of the product that never appears in the demo.
The situation
You sign without knowing who answers when something breaks.
What you do
- Asks about the support channel and the committed response time
What you get
The first problem is not also the first surprise.
This article answers
- what to ask a software vendor
- criteria for choosing a document platform
- how to compare document management tools
- questions before signing a saas contract