A software demonstration is easier to evaluate when every provider follows the same scenarios. Instead of asking whether a feature exists, ask the presenter to show what happens to a real kind of request, who can act on it and what remains to be done manually. The fifteen questions below form a practical evaluation agenda for an interpreter agency. They are not a claim that every platform handles every workflow in the same way.
Bring a normal request and two difficult exceptions
Prepare a short, anonymized scenario with a client, language need, appointment, service mode and approval requirement. Add a change after confirmation and an assignment that cannot be filled immediately. Use those same examples across demonstrations so the comparison reflects your work rather than each presenter’s preferred path.
Ask these first three questions: How does a client submit this request? What information becomes available to the coordinator without retyping? How does the team distinguish received, reviewed and confirmed work? Record whether each answer was demonstrated, described as configurable or left for a later discussion.
Inspect matching, availability and changes
Questions four through seven focus on assignment quality: How are language and qualification requirements represented? How are availability and possible conflicts checked? What happens when the first interpreter declines? How does a date or location change affect the existing assignment and its notifications? Ask the presenter to show the exception, not only describe it.
Question eight concerns time zones: which time does the requester see, which time does the interpreter see and how can a coordinator confirm they refer to the same instant? If recurring work crosses a daylight-saving transition, include that scenario. Agree what must be verified later if the demonstration environment cannot represent it.
Follow the work through portals and finance
Questions nine and ten examine the user experience: What can the client view or change in the portal? What can an interpreter accept, update or submit? Check which actions require an administrator and how permissions are configured. A portal label alone does not reveal whether the required journey is supported.
Questions eleven and twelve follow completed work: How do time records and expenses reach the required approvals? How can the team trace a billing record back to the service and the applicable details? Have the presenter identify where your accounting or payroll tools remain involved and which connections require additional scope.
Ask about reporting, migration and implementation
Question thirteen: can you reproduce one report our team actually needs, and inspect the records behind it? Bring a definition, including date basis and excluded statuses. Question fourteen: how would our data be exported, mapped, tested and accepted during migration? A sample import is more informative than a general statement that migration is available.
Question fifteen: what exactly is included in the proposed scope, and what requires configuration, integration, custom development or a separate agreement? Ask for responsibilities, training, support, commercial terms and unresolved questions in writing. Do not score a promised future capability as if it had already been demonstrated.
| Record for each requirement | What to capture |
|---|---|
| Evidence | Demonstrated, described or unresolved |
| Fit | Works as shown, needs configuration or needs more scope |
| Ownership | Who supplies data, decisions and approvals |
| Next step | Written confirmation, sample test or follow-up demo |
Turn the answers into a reviewable decision
Choose a small set of must-have workflows before assigning scores. A polished screen should not outweigh a missing approval step that your organization cannot work around. Compare implementation effort and ongoing administration alongside the product capabilities. Invite coordinators, finance and the people who will use the portals to review the evidence.
MigiHub’s comparison pages and product videos can help you prepare questions, while a live demonstration lets you discuss your own scenarios. Bring the checklist and ask our team to distinguish existing functionality, configuration and any additional development. The purpose is a clear fit assessment, not an unqualified yes to every request.
Frequently asked questions
Who should join the demo?
Include representatives of the workflows being evaluated, such as coordination, finance and administration. Portal users can add a useful perspective when their journey is in scope.
Should we ask for a custom demo?
Use a concise scenario with anonymized information. Agree the scope in advance so the presenter can show the relevant workflow and identify anything that needs follow-up.
Bring your questions to a live demo
Show us the requests and exceptions your team needs to manage.
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MigiHub Editorial Team
Practical guidance on operations, customer relationships and service-business management.
