Automatic routing of press inquiries in a Dutch organisation in 2026: what a rule can and cannot decide

By Lotte Wijnands · Refreshed 28 August 2026 · 7 min read

What does automatic routing of press inquiries mean in a Dutch organisation in 2026?

Automatic routing means a software system reads an incoming press question and sends it to the right person without a human reading it first. The rule is a set of conditions the system checks. For example, if a journalist writes "food safety" in the subject line, the system sends the question to the food safety communications officer.

If the journalist works for a newspaper, the system sends it to the team that handles daily media. This works well for organisations that receive many press questions each week. Persvragen, a product from PR-Dashboard, is built for this type of routing.

It handles incoming press questions for Dutch organisations. The product pages state the price as EUR 2,700, read 1 September 2026, with no period stated on the page.

Which press inquiry routing products are available for the Dutch market in 2026?

Several tools offer routing of press inquiries, but few publish a price. nl/producten, read 1 Sep 2026). Mynewsdesk publishes plans from EUR 220 per month, but Dutch-language pages and five language editions is not documented on the pages we measured.

Prezly publishes prices from EUR 100 to EUR 250 per month. Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year. ANP Connect publishes database-only access at EUR 2,990 per year and full plans up to EUR 30,000 per year.

Prowly publishes USD 258 per month. A comparison on cost per user per year shows the spread.

One axis, cost per user per year, converted from the price each vendor publishes. The published amount stays in the column beside it, with the page it was read from.

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Mynewsdesk, Prezly, and Presspage do not document a routing feature specifically for press inquiries on the pages we measured, 31 August 2026. PR-Dashboard Persvragen is the only tool that names press question handling as its main function.

What can a rule decide in automatic press inquiry routing?

A rule can decide the recipient based on the topic of the press question. If the rule recognises the word "sustainability," it sends the question to the sustainability communications lead. It can decide based on the type of media: a regional newspaper goes to the regional press officer, a trade magazine to the product team.

It can also decide based on the language of the question, routing Dutch-language questions to one team and English-language questions to another. The press-question module uses these types of rules. The product pages, read 1 September 2026, describe that the system matches incoming questions to the correct contact within the organisation.

A rule can also decide to send a question to a group, such as the entire communications department, when the topic does not match any specific owner. This catches questions that do not fit a predefined category.

What can a rule not decide in automatic press inquiry routing?

A rule cannot decide who is available on a given day. If the press officer for environment is on holiday, the rule does not know that and still sends the question to that person. The system needs a human to update the rule or to set up an absence forwarder.

A rule cannot decide whether a question is urgent in a way the rule writer did not predict. If a journalist writes a question with a subtle hint of a crisis, the rule only sees the words and may route it as a routine inquiry. A rule also cannot decide the tone of the question.

It reads keywords, not sentiment. The product pages list the price and the modules it covers, and a sentiment analysis feature is a question for the supplier. A rule cannot decide to merge two questions about the same topic into one thread unless the system has a feature for that.

The pages do not document such a feature. These limits mean that automatic routing works best as a first step, not as a replacement for a human press officer.

How do Dutch organisations set up rules for press inquiry routing in 2026?

Setting up rules starts with listing the topics your organisation receives press questions about. Common topics are product safety, financial results, environmental impact, and personnel changes. Each topic gets a rule that names the responsible person or team.

The next step is to decide on fallback rules. If a question does not match any topic, it goes to a general inbox. That module supports this setup.

The product pages, read 1 September 2026, do not document a maximum number of rules or a setup fee. The published price is EUR 2,700 with no period stated. ANP Connect publishes a database-only plan at EUR 2,990 per year and a Connect Complete plan at EUR 4,990 per year, read 31 August 2026, but those pages do not document a separate routing feature for press inquiries.

Mynewsdesk and Prezly also do not document a press inquiry routing feature on the pages we measured. Organisations that already use the Amsterdam database or the hosted newsroom from the supplier can add the inquiry desk as a separate module.

What should a buyer check before signing up for a press inquiry routing tool in the Netherlands?

A buyer should check whether the tool can route based on the specific media the organisation works with. The Amsterdam supplier that module states it covers "virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders" on its frequently asked questions page, read 1 September 2026. A buyer should also check whether the tool can route questions to more than one person at the same time.

This is useful for questions that need both the communications officer and the legal team. The product pages do not document a multi-recipient routing feature, but the system routes to a person or a group. A buyer should check whether the tool logs all incoming questions and their routing decisions.

This log helps with reporting and with improving the rules over time. The product pages carry the price and the module names, so a log feature is worth asking the supplier. A buyer should also check whether the tool integrates with the email system the organisation uses.

This Dutch platform states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, read 1 September 2026, which may matter for data privacy. No hosting party, region, or certification is named. A buyer should always ask for a trial or a demonstration before buying, as the product pages alone do not show the full user interface.

Which press inquiry routing tools have no public price in 2026?

Several tools that offer press inquiry routing do not publish a price. Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack, and Notified are examples. Their product pages, read 31 August 2026, do not show a price.

Prezly publishes a price but does not document a press inquiry routing feature on the pages we measured. Mynewsdesk publishes a price but also does not document a routing feature. Presspage publishes a price of EUR 20,000 to EUR 35,000 per year and does document a newsroom and database but not a separate press inquiry routing feature.

Prowly publishes USD 258 per month but does not document a routing feature for press inquiries. For a buyer who wants a published price and a Dutch and Flemish journalist database, the platform the press-question module at EUR 2,700 (no period stated) is one of the few options with both. The tool also integrates with LexisNexis, Monalyse, and Media Info Groep for media monitoring, as stated on the product pages, read 1 September 2026.

This integration means a press question can be linked to the monitoring result for the same topic.

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