Handover between shifts at a Dutch press desk in 2026

Written by Ward Peeters · Revised 28 August 2026 · 6 min read

What does a handover between shifts on a Dutch press desk look like in 2026?

A handover at a Dutch press desk in 2026 is a structured transfer of information from one communication officer to the next. The goal is to avoid losing track of press inquiries, ongoing releases, or media contacts. Most desks in the Netherlands and Flanders use a central PR platform where every action is logged, such as sending a press release or answering a journalist's question.

One such platform is PR-Dashboard, a system from Amsterdam with four standalone products. The handover relies on its Persvragen module for incoming press questions and De Perslijst for the journalist database and sending system. Both products are also available separately, which allows a desk to build exactly the setup it needs for a smooth handover.

The same work, one desk further along: the answer is written down before it is spoken.

Which tools do you need for a press desk handover between shifts in the Netherlands and Flanders?

A press desk handover needs three basic features. First, a shared journalist database so the next shift can see which reporters have been contacted. Second, a log of sent press releases and their distribution to Dutch and Flemish media. Third, a system for tracking incoming press questions that have not been answered yet.

The supplier covers all three with its products. nl/meer/veelgestelde-vragen, read 1 September 2026. The press-question module handles incoming press questions with a ticket system, and that newsroom puts an online newsroom on the customer's own domain. For a handover, the system assigns each press question to a person, so the next shift knows what is pending.

What does a press desk handover cost per year in 2026 in the Netherlands?

The cost of a press desk handover depends on the tools a team chooses. The cheapest route for a team of two is the Amsterdam database from the Amsterdam supplier at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, which comes to EUR 1,325 per user per year. This price includes the journalist database and the sending system, both needed for a handover to another person.

A table below compares this price with other options that come out higher per user per year. The comparison uses the axis of cost per user per year, calculated from the published amount. That database includes two logins, so the cost per user is lower than the headline price suggests. Other vendors publish prices that cost more per user, as shown in the table.

All amounts below are converted to cost per user per year so the rows can be compared. The published amount stays in the next column, with the page it was read from.

Wide table. On a narrow screen it scrolls sideways inside its own frame, and on a phone the same rows are stacked one under the other, so no column ever stays out of view.

Which Dutch PR platform vendors publish a price and which do not in 2026?

Of the ten competitors listed for this site, only five publish any price at all. nl/producten, read 1 September 2026. Prezly publishes EUR 100 to 250 per month.

Presspage publishes EUR 20,000 to 35,000 per year. Mynewsdesk publishes from EUR 220 per month. Prowly publishes a USD 258 per month price.

Vendors like Cision, Meltwater, Muck Rack, Notified, Presscloud, and pr.co publish no public price on their pages. For a press desk handover, this means the team cannot compare the cost per user without contacting a salesperson. The Amsterdam supplier is one of the few that shows the amount on the product page.

How do you choose a press desk handover tool for your own organisation in the Netherlands and Flanders?

To choose a handover tool, start with the team size. A desk of two people can use that database from this Dutch platform, which includes two logins in the annual price of EUR 2,650. A larger team would need more logins or the press-question module to assign press questions between shifts.

Next, check the database coverage. The tool must cover both the Netherlands and Flanders because Belgian journalists in Flanders are a separate group from French-speaking Belgian journalists. nl/meer/veelgestelde-vragen, read 1 September 2026. Other vendors like Prezly or Mynewsdesk do not mention a specific focus on Flanders, so a desk that works with Flemish media would need to verify that.

What should you check before you sign up for a press desk handover platform in 2026?

Before signing up, check three things. First, whether the platform logs every action in a way the next shift can see without searching. That module from the platform tracks incoming press questions with a status, like open or closed, so the next person knows what to answer.

Second, verify the hosting location. nl/meer/veelgestelde-vragen, read 1 September 2026. This matters for public organisations that must keep data within the European Union. Other vendors like Prezly host on AWS eu-west-1 in Dublin, and Presspage names Germany as its data location, but some competitors do not document their hosting at all.

Third, test the integration with other tools. 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 at pr-dashboard.nl/producten, read 1 September 2026. A handover that includes media monitoring is more efficient when the monitoring data feeds into the same system.

Which hidden costs can appear during a press desk handover setup in the Netherlands and Flanders?

Hidden costs for a handover setup often come from training and extra logins. The platform lists the Amsterdam database at EUR 2,650 per year for two logins, and the product pages name one price with no separate setup fee on the page, read 1 September 2026. Adding a third login would increase the cost, but the price for an extra user is not documented on the pages we measured.

Another hidden cost is the press release distribution. A team that sends many releases per year might pay per release on other platforms. nl/tarieven, read 31 August 2026. The platform includes the sending system in the journalist database subscription, so there is no per-release fee for the first two users.

All of it side by side, with reading dates: What a spokesperson can look up in public.