I recently wrapped up a four-month evaluation of five different software platforms, which involved coordinating demos, tracking quotes through various rounds of negotiation, logging email threads with eight different representatives, and ultimately creating a cohesive presentation for leadership. I managed all this using just a spreadsheet and Gmail labels. I'm curious about how others handle software evaluations. Are there any specific tools out there that people actually use for managing these evaluations once they have a shortlist? I'm not referring to G2 for discovering software, but rather tools for managing the evaluation process itself — including contacts, notes, quotes, demo summaries, and so on. Or do most people just stick with Excel?
6 Answers
From my experience, it really comes down to understanding what specific business needs you're trying to address. Things like your organization's procurement processes can make a big difference in how you set up your evaluations.
Notion can work pretty well for this too. You can create a database for each vendor, linking pages for contacts, demo notes, and quotes. It allows for a master view to compare them all side by side when it's time to present to leadership.
I didn't realize Notion could do a master view! That's a game changer.
In our Google-centric workspace, we just create folders to store all relevant information for evaluations. When it's time for decisions, I dump everything into NotebookLM and extract the key points for comparison, helping to speed up the process significantly.
That sounds super helpful! I can see how NotebookLM would simplify vendor comparisons.
I've done three vendor selections per platform and stood up 19 platforms in the last two years. My process is more straightforward than what you described. I typically interview the platform offerings and just select the one that meets our needs. I usually only need about four hours of work per platform — three demos and a meeting to discuss requirements. In my experience, this process isn't all that complicated and doesn't require fancy tools.
That sounds efficient! How did you streamline your process? Was it always this quick?
Sounds like you’ve nailed down a good system!
What tools do you find most helpful?
Honestly, most teams end up using spreadsheets, Notion, or shared documents since there really aren't many effective buyer-side tools available. I've found that Airtable or Coda can work well for tracking everything — vendors, contacts, demo notes, and quotes — which is way better than just using Gmail labels.
I completely agree! Airtable really helps organize everything better than just a basic sheet.
Yeah, we primarily use Excel for evaluating vendors. It might not be the most glamorous option, but it gets the job done.
Excel really is the backbone for a lot of tech evaluations!
Absolutely! Understanding what your directors need to see helps streamline the process.