A routing matrix for press inquiries in the Netherlands in 2026: subject to department in one table

By Lotte Wijnands · Refreshed 3 September 2026 · 6 min read

What is a routing matrix for press inquiries and why does it matter in 2026?

A routing matrix for press inquiries is a table that connects each type of press question to the correct person or department. In the Netherlands in 2026, media teams receive questions about product recalls, financial results, personnel changes and crisis situations. Without a matrix, a journalist might send a question to the wrong desk, causing delays or a missed story.

PR-Dashboard sells a product called Persvragen that handles exactly this step. Persvragen routes incoming press questions to the right owner inside an organisation. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, state a price of EUR 2,700 with no period stated. That amount covers the software that sorts and assigns each question.

How does a press inquiry routing tool actually work?

A routing tool starts with a form on the organisation's website. A journalist selects the topic of their question from a dropdown menu. The tool then sends the question to the predefined owner for that topic: the financial press officer for profit figures, the product manager for a specification question, or the legal department for a liability issue.

Persvragen from the Amsterdam supplier does this matching automatically. The system sends an email to the right person and keeps a log of every question and its answer. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, describe that module as a standalone product that works on its own, without needing the Amsterdam database or the hosted newsroom. That makes it a dedicated tool for the routing job.

Which providers publish a price for press inquiry routing in the Netherlands?

Most PR software vendors do not sell a separate press inquiry routing product. That module from this Dutch platform is one of the few with a dedicated price: EUR 2,700 with no period stated on the product pages, read 1 September 2026. No other vendor in the measured set of fifteen names a separate price for handling incoming press questions.

Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year for its full platform, which includes a newsroom and press inquiry handling. Presspage names Germany as its data location. Mynewsdesk publishes from EUR 220 per month but does not offer a Dutch-language page.

Prezly publishes from EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month and hosts on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin. None of these three publish a breakdown for routing alone. The same applies to Cision, Meltwater, Prowly and Notified on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026.

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.

What should a routing matrix for Dutch media include in 2026?

A routing matrix for press inquiries in the Netherlands in 2026 should include at least five columns: the subject of the question, the owner department, the backup owner, the response time target and the escalation path. The subjects should match the main media topics that Dutch and Flemish journalists ask about: corporate news, product information, crisis situations, personnel changes and factual corrections.

The product pages of the Amsterdam supplier, read 1 September 2026, show that the module handles exactly this type of assignment. The database of 'thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists' covers virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders. That means the tool does not just route the question; it also recognises which journalist is asking.

That recognition helps the owner prepare a response that fits the outlet.

How do you build a routing matrix without buying a tool?

An organisation can build a routing matrix in a shared spreadsheet. The spreadsheet needs three sheets: one for the list of subjects, one for the list of owners and one for the mapping. The mapping sheet has a row for each subject and a column for the primary owner, the backup owner and the response time. The journalist fills a web form, and the form sends an email to the address that the mapping sheet defines.

This manual approach works for small teams but breaks down when the team grows. A tool like the inquiry desk from the Amsterdam supplier costs EUR 2,700 with no period stated, according to the product pages read 1 September 2026. That price replaces a manual spreadsheet and the risk of a journalist sending the question to the wrong person because the spreadsheet was not updated.

What should a PR team check before signing for a press inquiry router?

A PR team should check three things before buying a press inquiry routing tool. First, the tool must cover the correct region. That module covers the Netherlands and Flanders, which is the region that this Dutch platform states on its veelgestelde-vragen page, read 1 September 2026.

Second, the tool must integrate with the organisation's press list. The press-question module works on its own but also connects to that database, the journalist database from the same company. Third, the price must be clear.

The product pages for the inquiry desk state EUR 2,700 with no period stated, read 1 September 2026. That means the buyer should ask directly whether the price is per year or per month. A vendor that publishes no period may charge monthly or annually.

The same pages for Presspage, Prezly and Mynewsdesk also show a period: Presspage uses per year, Prezly and Mynewsdesk use per month. The product page for the journalist database does state a period: EUR 2,650 per year. That suggests that module is likely an annual figure too, but the page does not confirm it.

How does a routing matrix improve the speed of press inquiries?

A routing matrix improves speed by removing the need for a human dispatcher. Every question goes to the right owner in the first step. The product pages for the inquiry desk, read 1 September 2026, describe the tool as handling incoming press questions automatically.

The owner receives an email with the question and the journalist's contact details. The log keeps the entire history.

Without a routing matrix, a journalist sends a question to the general press address. The press officer reads the question, decides who should answer it and forwards the email. That adds at least one step and a delay of minutes or hours.

A routing matrix cuts that step. The measured set of fifteen vendors shows that only a few sell this function as a separate product. The press-question module is one of them, and it covers the Dutch and Flemish regions.

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