Questions and answers

DIALOG BOX is a cloud-based SaaS participation software that offers a user-friendly and secure platform for public and stakeholder participation. It works like a digital construction kit: all participation modules are available to clients for the duration of the project and can be combined with each other as required.

The DIALOG BOX is used by city administrations, ministries and non-governmental organizations in the design and implementation of digital and hybrid dialogue processes. The participation software can be used to implement time-limited, multi-stage participation processes as well as permanent participation platforms, for example for the year-round ideas management of cities and municipalities.

Because the conception of participation processes does not end with the software, our services also include support in process design, the implementation of design thinking formats, activation and communication, organizational development, project management, as well as moderation and the evaluation of participation results.

DIALOG BOX meets all legal requirements and ensures that users' personal data is protected. The latest version of the software is cloud-native.

DIALOG BOX is a comprehensive software solution that integrates all the necessary modules for effective dialog and participation processes. These include

• Ideas platform (petition function)

• Ideas module

• Project list

• Surveys and rankings

• Text commenting (e.g. for feedback on draft strategies and draft legislation)

• Event tool

• Defect notifier

• blog

• External procedures

• Crowd maps

• Participatory budget

• Citizen consultation hours

Most modules also have configurable comment and rating functions. The platform's registration management runs via Keycloak.

The modules listed are included as standard so that no additional costs are incurred for their use. In addition, ]init[ continuously provides further developments that customers can use without additional fees. The DIALOG BOX has been under constant development for over ten years to ensure that it remains reliable and stable at all times.

More about our modules

The DIALOG BOX was developed to be accessible to all citizens, regardless of their individual abilities.

The DIALOG BOX is successfully used by numerous cities and institutions, for example the Federal Ministry for the Environment, the City of Frankfurt am Main, the state capital of Munich, Wiesbaden, Oldenburg, Potsdam, Freiburg, Buchholz and Gießen. The German Energy Agency (dena) also uses the platform for its participation process. The software has proven itself in practice and has been successfully used in over 130 digital, multi-stage participation processes for more than 10 years.

Our references

We offer comprehensive training for different user groups to ensure the smooth use of DIALOG BOX: For example, you can attend a basic training course with us, moderation training, or training for administrative staff* who use the defect notifier. Once a week, we also offer a digital editorial café where you can ask any questions you may have about the editorial maintenance of the platform.

The costs of the DIALOG BOX are made up as follows:

• Initialization & set-up of the participation platform

• Service & hosting (annual fees)

• Costs for additional services (e.g. consulting and process design, analysis and documentation, etc.)

The implementation period depends on various parameters. However, the DIALOG BOX can generally be up and running within a few days.