Statuses in a Dutch press inquiry tool in 2026: five is enough, twelve is a museum

By Lotte Wijnands · Refreshed 28 August 2026 · 6 min read

How many statuses does a modern Dutch press inquiry tool use in 2026?

The Dutch platform PR-Dashboard sells a product called Persvragen for handling incoming press questions. Persvragen uses four statuses: new, answer ready, answered and closed. The status definitions are published on the PR-Dashboard product pages, read 1 September 2026.

Users can move an inquiry from new to answer ready when the press officer has a draft, then to answered once the journalist receives it, and finally to closed when the matter is resolved.

This four-status system is on the low end compared to other tools available to Dutch communicators. Most platforms with a published price and a visible feature list use between five and seven statuses. The difference is that the inquiry desk does not add sub-statuses for individual team members or for different types of questions.

The product pages treat status as a signal for the whole team, not a personal workflow queue.

How does the press-question module compare to competitors on statuses and price?

That module from this Dutch platform costs EUR 2,700 without a period stated on the product page, read 1 September 2026. That price covers handling press questions for a team. The table below compares the press-question module to three other tools on cost per user per year and on how many statuses the vendor publishes.

Every row below sits on the same axis: cost per user per year, worked out from the amount the vendor publishes, with that amount and its source next to it.

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.

The table shows that for the first three plans listed, the vendor publishes no price per user. Each plan may cover one login or more, but that information is not documented on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026. That module is the only product in this comparison for which the vendor states a price, a region focus (Netherlands and Flanders) and a status count.

The per-user cost is calculated by dividing the published amount by the number of included users (one for the inquiry desk, as the vendor does not state a user limit for this product).

Why are five statuses enough for a Dutch press desk?

A status system exists to answer one question: where is this inquiry right now? With four statuses, the press-question module covers the full lifecycle from receipt to closure. Adding more statuses means adding categories such as 'waiting for spokesperson', 'waiting for legal review', 'translation in progress' or 'ready for approval by management'.

These are not statuses of the inquiry itself. They are internal process steps that belong in a task manager, not in the press tool.

Systems with twelve or more statuses come from an era when press offices used the same tool for distribution, monitoring and internal ticketing. That approach creates a problem: every extra status requires training, drops usage when a team member is absent, and makes the dashboard harder to scan. The Dutch PR platform the supplier sells four separate products (the Amsterdam database, the hosted newsroom, that module and their training) that each do one job.

The press-question module keeps its statuses simple because the product does not try to replace a project tool.

Which providers publish a price and which do not?

Of the tools available to Dutch communication professionals, six publish a price in euros. The supplier publishes prices for all its products: the Amsterdam database from EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, the hosted newsroom from EUR 1,750 (no period stated), that module from EUR 2,700 (no period stated). Prezly publishes from EUR 100 per month, Mynewsdesk from EUR 220 per month, and Presspage from EUR 20,000 per year.

Prowly publishes USD 258 per month but does not state a euro price. Cision, Muck Rack, Notified and Meltwater publish no public price on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026.

A vendor that publishes no price may still be a good fit for a large organisation. But for a Dutch press desk that wants to compare status systems and handle press inquiries, the available data is thin for many providers. The inquiry desk is the only product among those with a published price that also publishes its status categories on the product page.

The product pages of the Amsterdam supplier, read 1 September 2026, show the four statuses as part of the feature description.

What should a buyer check before choosing a press inquiry tool in 2026?

First, check how many statuses the tool uses and whether you can change them. That module from the platform uses four fixed statuses. The product pages do not document whether users can add custom statuses; they name the four as the standard workflow. For a team that needs more granularity, a tool with five to seven defaults may be better, as long as the vendor publishes the list so you can test it before purchasing.

Second, check the region coverage. The inquiry desk covers the Netherlands and Flanders, as stated on the FAQ page of the platform, read 1 September 2026. The platform database holds 'thousands of Dutch and Belgian journalists' and covers 'virtually all media in the Netherlands and Flanders' according to the same source. For teams that also need media outside those regions, a different tool may be required.

Third, check the hosting location. The platform states that all development and hosting take place in the Netherlands with Dutch programmers, read 1 September 2026. No hosting party, region or certification is named. If your organisation requires a specific data centre or certification, you need to ask the vendor directly; the product pages do not state that detail on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026.

Fourth, check the integrations. The platform offers single sign-on with LexisNexis, Monalyse and Media Info Groep, plus a service called Media Monitoring Compact developed with Media Info Groep, according to the product pages, read 1 September 2026. If your press desk already uses one of those services, the press-question module may fit smoothly.

If your team uses a different monitoring tool, ask the vendor whether an integration exists; the product pages do not state other integrations on the pages we measured, 31 Aug 2026.

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