Cloud collaboration platforms can answer a lot of problems in the workplace. They can house and organize scattered documents, act as a central hub for all communication needs, and streamline business processes.

But, not all cloud collaboration platforms are created equal.

Picking a poor quality platform will cause headaches and lower team morale. Imagine trying to train your workforce to use a platform, but then the vendor doesn’t offer good customer support. Or picture buying cloud collaboration software only to find out key features are missing.

You’ve just wasted precious time and money on a product that doesn’t even solve your problems. And if you don’t change your approach, you may end up switching to another vendor that’s just as bad.

With everything that could go wrong, what should you look for in cloud collaboration software? There are several questions you should ask a cloud collaboration platform so that you can make a confident purchase.

When you are considering a cloud collaboration platform, here are five questions you should ask the vendor before buying.

1. “Does your platform integrate with the software we already use?”

If your company loves the software it’s currently using, ask the vendor if their cloud collaboration software integrates with it. For example, if your business uses G Suite or Salesforce, ask the platform if it can integrate with these third-party tools.

Switching between multiple applications and tools can slow production and cause miscommunication. But if workers can easily combine software with the cloud collaboration platform, then your workflow becomes smoother.

Then figure out how easy it is to integrate their software. If it’s available, ask for a demonstration or watch a how-to video. This way you know if setting up integration will be a headache or a breeze.

2. “What kind of support do you offer?”

Some cloud collaboration software is more complicated than others. With that in mind, you want a cloud collaboration platform that offers training, advice, and help.

Does the platform have a help desk with good content like how-to articles? Do they offer support service for tricky and complex problems? You’re trying to discern how much help you’ll receive on the other side of the purchase.

3. “What problems can we solve with your platform?”

Before buying a service, you should know the software’s capabilities. Will it be able to perform all the tasks you need it to? The best cloud collaboration platforms offer various tools and solutions.

One way to prepare for this question is to create a list of tasks you need the cloud collaboration software to accomplish. This way you can ask, “Can your software perform X, Y, Z?” You want to be absolutely clear on this question. The last thing you want is to pay for a service that can’t answer your needs.

4. “How do organizations that are 2x or 5x bigger than us use your platform?”

You want to avoid changing your software every couple of years because you outgrew its capabilities. As your company increases, you want software that will grow with your business. You may want to ask if the cloud collaboration platform could serve you if you added 500 employees.

A good place to start is looking at their payment plans. Are there payment plans for companies larger than yours? If so, that’s a good sign they can scale with your company.

Another worthwhile resource is the vendor’s case studies. Don’t just read case studies about companies similar to your size. You should also read a few about businesses larger than yours.

Here’s what you’re trying to figure out: can the cloud collaboration platform serve your business now and in the future?

5. “What features are you working on right now?”

This question investigates whether or not the company plans to adapt and evolve. All good businesses seek to improve their products and services. You want a cloud collaboration platform that is dedicated to developing their service.

You can dig deeper with these questions:

• Do you consider customer input when updating and upgrading your software?
• How do you gather feedback?
• What was your most recent update and what did it accomplish?

You can see how serious a company is about developing their cloud collaboration software by looking at their past. Do they regularly fix bugs, add features, and update their software? If so, it’s a good sign they will continue to in the future.

Kissflow’s answers

Are you considering using Kissflow as your collaboration platform? If so, here are Kissflow’s answers to the above questions:

A1. Kissflow integrates with popular software

Kissflow integrates with software^[1] such as G Suite, QuickBooks, Salesforce, and many more. Some integrations are built into the system, some can be done with a connecting service like Zapier, and others can be done with custom APIs.

A2. Kissflow offers helpful content, a support team, and training

Kissflow has a collection of documents^[2] that includes guides and answers to commonly asked questions. There’s also an instant chat support team available 20 hours a day, five days a week. And if you’re looking for in-depth help, Kissflow offers personalized training.

A3. Your leaders don’t have the tools they need to get work done

Kissflow offers your leaders the basic tools they need in process management, project management, collaboration, and case management to handle any kind of work that comes their way. It has intuitive features^[3] and pre-made workflows that can perform a wide variety of tasks, such as employee onboarding and website planning.

A4. Kissflow scales easily with growing companies

There are many enterprises that use Kissflow with several thousand users on their account. They exercise more control on who can create collaboration channels so that they don’t end up with hundreds of overlapping channels. Check out one of several case studies^[4] to see how Kissflow helps companies of all sizes.

A5. Incorporating tasks and collaboration

Having a discussion about work is helpful, but wouldn’t it be great to immediately pull tasks out of conversations, assign them, and be able to follow up on their progress? Since Kissflow is a complete digital workplace, we are working on building all of these features together on the same platform.

Ask your cloud collaboration platform these questions and you’ll be well on your way to a good purchase.