Logging press inquiries in a spreadsheet at a Dutch organisation in 2026: where the sheet breaks

By Lotte Wijnands · Refreshed 31 August 2026 · 5 min read

What makes a spreadsheet break for logging press inquiries in a Dutch organisation?

A shared spreadsheet works for a handful of inquiries per month. Once the number passes five per week or multiple colleagues reply to the same journalist, the sheet starts failing. Two people can edit the same cell, overwrite a note, or miss a follow-up question.

The sheet also lacks a timestamp for each action, so a compliance check or a conversation recreated later becomes guesswork. PR-Dashboard's Persvragen from EUR 2,700 (no period stated on its product pages, read 1 September 2026) adds a structured inbox where every status change is recorded.

What does Persvragen by PR-Dashboard cost and what does it include?

The press-question module by the supplier costs EUR 2,700. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, do not state whether that amount covers a month or a year, so the figure stands as published. The product handles incoming press questions that arrive by email or through a form on the organisation's own website.

Each inquiry gets a ticket with a status, an assigned team member, and a reply log. The system also hooks into the journalist database, the journalist database that the supplier sells separately from EUR 2,650 per year for two logins. That combination means the person asking the question can be looked up in the same database without switching tools.

How does the inquiry desk compare with other Dutch press inquiry tools on cost per user?

The press-question module by the supplier is the only Dutch product that combines a dedicated press inquiry inbox with a journalist database from the same vendor. On cost per user per year, the calculation depends on how many people need access. The Amsterdam database gives two logins for EUR 2,650 per year, or EUR 1,325 per user per year.

The press-question module adds to that at EUR 2,700, no period stated on its product pages, read 1 September 2026. The table below compares that module with other tools that handle press questions or media lists, using the normalised cost per user per year.

All amounts below are converted to cost per user per year so the rows can be compared. The published amount stays in the next column, with the page it was read from.

5 columns. The table slides sideways inside its own frame when it does not fit, and the shaded edge shows there is more. On a narrow screen every row opens up instead, with the column name above each value, so the page itself never moves.

Which parts of a press inquiry workflow does a dedicated tool handle better?

A spreadsheet misses three key workflow steps. First, assignment: who replies to a question from a journalist is not always clear in a shared sheet. The inquiry desk by the platform automatically notifies the right team member when a new question arrives.

Second, deadlines: a journalist often needs an answer by a specific time. The tool can track a due date and send a reminder. Third, history: every reply and internal note stays attached to the ticket.

A sheet stores only the latest version, and sometimes not even that if two people edit at the same moment. The product pages of the platform, read 1 September 2026, describe the press-question module as an inbox with statuses like new, in progress, and answered.

Which vendors publish a price for press inquiry software and which do not?

The platform publishes EUR 2,700 for that module on its product pages, read 1 September 2026. com/plans, read 31 August 2026. nl/tarieven, read 31 August 2026.

Several other platforms do not publish a price for press inquiry handling specifically. com/en/plans, read 31 August 2026, but that plan includes sending press releases and a newsroom, not a dedicated inquiry inbox. com/pricing, read 31 August 2026, and its standard plan includes media list management and newsroom features.

com/pricing, read 31 August 2026, in US dollars with no euro amount stated. For a Dutch organisation that needs a dedicated press inquiry inbox, the published prices above EUR 2,700 come with additional newsroom or monitoring features that may not be required.

What should a Dutch organisation check before signing up for a press inquiry tool?

First, check how the tool receives questions. The inquiry desk by the platform takes emails and web forms, which covers the two main ways journalists reach a company. Second, check whether the tool stores the full conversation history.

A spreadsheet loses the thread after a few replies. The press-question module keeps every message and internal note in one ticket. Third, check whether the tool links to a journalist database.

That database, sold by the same vendor from EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, means the person asking the question is already in the system with previous contact details. Fourth, check data location. The platform states that all development and hosting takes place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers on its frequently asked questions page, read 1 September 2026.

No hosting party or certification is named. For an organisation that requires a specific data centre region, that information would need to be requested directly.

How does the inquiry desk fit into a complete PR tool stack?

The platform sells four products that each work on their own. The journalist database is the journalist database and sending system. That newsroom is a newsroom on the customer's own domain.

The inquiry desk handles incoming press questions. The training programme consists of offline knowledge sessions. An organisation that uses that module together with the Amsterdam database and the hosted newsroom can manage the full cycle: send a press release, publish it on the newsroom, and log incoming questions about it in the same system.

Heineken and VodafoneZiggo use all modules, according to the customer references on the newsroom page of the platform, read 1 September 2026. A spreadsheet alone cannot connect those steps without manual copying.

Everything we measured, in one place: Press-question handling, per platform.