System Specialist

We use this tool for a few different reasons: 1) collecting ideas for collaboration - great for allowing threaded discussions with other users. 2) using the flash form has enabled users to use this tool for collecting ideas during various meetings and gives the opportunity for commenting on the ideas submitted. 3) Results Engine has proven useful for a few groups by putting their spreadsheets into this tool they can now run reports and see the information at a glance instead of scrolling through spreadsheet columns.

Pros

I like the fact that it is user friendly, it doesn't scare users to come in and submit ideas/comments or search for ideas. I also like the Results Engine module for the same user friendly experience, but with this it's so easy for the users to run reports that they can get their information how/when they need it. Also, the support team is quick to answer questions or problems.

Cons

I do not have any "cons" I've basically been able to manipulate Innovation Central and Results Engine to meet my companies needs and make it easy for the users. It would be very nice if there could be standardized reports created, that would contain a company logo and updated information monthly, instead of having to export a spreadsheet monthly and manipulating it to run graphs.

Crowdsourcing with Analytics

Pros

Innovation Central does exactly what it's supposed to do, and it does it well. If you're looking to solicit ideas from across your organization easily, manage the funnel of the best of those ideas (as picked by experts), and have people collaborate on those ideas, then you definitely should include Imaginatik's portal in your short list. The analytics and features for evaluating ideas are excellent. Licensing really varies in this space: Innovation Central is licensed by "instance," or how many concurrent challenges you can run, and is independent of the number of users. This works for some and not for others, and Imaginatik will likely work with you to help you find the model that works best for your organization. Customization of what it does -- as a crowdsourcing tool -- is good. It's not amazing but it doesn't pretend to be, either. There's only so much you can, or even *should* do with a SaaS tool; keep this in mind!

Cons

Expanding its use beyond what it is intended to do is very difficult. For example, if you'd also want to manage the running of a hackathon within the tool, that's not going to be an easy thing to do. You can manage portfolios of work, there is some blogging, and other features as well, which it does an 'adequate job' doing but nothing like the outstanding work and effort they've put into the crowdsourcing and analysis. In other words: don't try to fit round pegs into the square hole.

Outstanding Tool With Excellent Customer Support

Pros

We have been using Planbox for several years now and I am extremely impressed with the platform. It has provided our organization with a central location to capture, track, and evaluate new ideas, making it easier for us to stay organized and focused on innovation. The ability to collaborate in different ways and gather feedback has also been extremely helpful for improving the quality and feasibility of our ideas.

Cons

A rich tool comes with some learning but the training provided to our team has been very effective.

Flexible tool. Supportive company.

Pros

Planbox's tool is self-explanatory and easy to use. It also brings quite some flexibility and possibilities for customization. The fact that is white-labeled is great as well.

Cons

Planbox's tool features only limited built-in scoring and funneling features. As a result, scoring according to a matrix that reflects the company's overall strategy and focus areas is difficult.

Comprehensive ideation platform

Good experience overall - responsive team to our needs. Quick to action when thing do not work, and always introducing new features

Pros

The flexibility of being able to manage our program the way we see fit. The workflow is in the eye of the beholder, allowing you to configure it to what works best to your needs. The data collection throughout the process with a wide range of data points is also a huge plus

Cons

With the flexibility comes with it having to learn and manage more about the platform. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just the nature of any platform that gives this more flexibility to do what you want