5 Time-Saving Tidbits When Researching Online Platform Providers

When our organization made the decision to take our in-person event and turn it into an online experience, we knew we needed a robust online platform provider. If we were going to completely replace the in-person event, the online event had to be spectacular. We had to reimagine the event without losing the DNA that made the event unique. I researched over 30 online platform providers before we decided on one to partner with. Here are five things I learned that might save you time in the vetting process.

1. There is no perfect online platform provider. I felt like I was in the longest “Goldilocks” story ever read. This one doesn’t include enough viewers in the package and this one doesn’t include enough storage space. This one DOES allow for enough viewers but costs a fortune. This one is affordable but I have to do all of the setup work myself. This one comes with a project manager but they are not available for another 12 weeks. What I did discover through this process is that you need to sit with your team ahead of time and prioritize the needs of your event or organization. This way when you’re ready to meet and discuss the findings of your research, you can efficiently find the right platform provider for your needs.
2. Online platform providers speak a completely different language. It was soon made clear to me that the “everyday lingo” we had been using to discuss what we needed did not work when meeting with online platform providers. Virtual, online, broadcast, streaming…these are very different from each other. As I had one conversation after another, I started collecting a dictionary of new words and definitions. The last representative I spoke with most definitely would have thought I was more knowledgeable than the first meeting I had! Be sure to listen to what is being said, how the terminology is being used, and don’t be afraid to ask questions for clarification.
3. Pricing structures vary from provider to provider. One pricing aspect I want you to make very certain you understand the pricing structure for is “viewers.” Some online platform providers charge per “registrant” which refers to only the people registered for the event regardless of the number of times they view the content. Some platforms charge per “viewer” which could be any time a person views the content whether it’s during the broadcast/simulcast or during video on demand (VOD). Other platforms charge per “viewing hour” which means you pay for a lump number of hours and every time a person watches the content, whether they start watching it, stop for whatever reason and return to it, or re-watch it multiple times, you are being charged for every hour that is watched by any number of people until the hours are used up. There are several factors that are included in pricing an online platform, but this one is a little tricky.
4. Schedule a demonstration. Believe me, scheduling 30+ demonstrations was a huge time commitment but online platforms and their features look one way online and a completely different way when you are able to poke around and ask questions. By viewing the platforms for myself, I was able to quickly work through the ones that looked really good “on paper” but turned out to have features or user-friendliness issues that we wouldn’t want to deal with. Some platform providers displayed the quality of their customer service by the nature of their follow up (or lack thereof).
5. Ask to see some of their other sites. Online platform providers who cannot produce references or show examples of other sites they have done are probably not going to be right for you. The online platform provider we ultimately chose to partner with for our national online conference had hosted an event that we participated in, shared screenshots from another event they did, and they always returned emails and phone calls immediately. We knew in one zoom-minute the were the right providers for us.

Have you searched for an online provider? If so, I’d love to hear what you have experienced. Email me or comment below.

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