Software buyer’s checklist
Eight capabilities matter more than a long marketing feature list.
✓Consent & opt-outs
✓Send windows
✓Direct review links
✓Suppression rules
✓Operational integrations
✓Audit trail
✓Multi-location controls
✓Data handling
Start with your trigger, not the feature list
How does the software know a customer interaction is complete? The answer may be a manual upload, CRM event, appointment status, point-of-sale event, API call or integration. If the trigger is unreliable, automation will send requests at the wrong time.
Buyer’s checklist
| Capability | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Consent controls | Can you store consent source and timestamp? How are opt-outs handled? |
| Send windows | Can messages respect customer-local time and quiet periods? |
| Review destinations | Can each location use the correct direct review link? |
| Suppression | Can completed reviewers, opt-outs and recent recipients be excluded? |
| Integrations | Can the system trigger from your real operational software? |
| Analytics | Can you see deliveries, clicks, outcomes, opt-outs and complaints? |
| Multi-location | Are templates, links, permissions and reporting location-aware? |
| Data handling | What customer data is stored, for how long, and by which subprocessors? |
Questions that expose weak products
- What happens if the same customer appears twice in a week?
- How does the platform stop texting someone who opted out elsewhere?
- Can I export my suppression list?
- Can I audit why a particular message was sent?
- Does the workflow route only happy customers to public reviews?
- Can I test the exact mobile experience before going live?
About product comparisons
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