Get oriented. Build context. Spot the potential.

This is your first real look—not just at features, but at the partner behind the platform. Use the Initial Demo to align your team, surface early questions, and start mapping what your next digital banking platform should empower.

What is the Initial Demo?

The Initial Demo is your first strategic checkpoint, where you:

• Frame how your internal teams evaluate digital banking platforms
• Start mapping key workflows to real platform functionality
• Surface early questions and misalignments across departments
• Establish your initial lens for comparing ideal vendors

It’s not the deep end — yet. But it is the step that sets the course for every part of the evaluation that follows.

Why the Initial Demo matters

Don’t wait for deep dive demos to get serious. The Initial Demo gives you space to define “good,” build shared language, assess vendor culture, and catch gaps early. This is where strategy meets structure—so you can shape the process before it shapes you.

What gets covered in the Initial Demo?

The Initial Demo isn’t a full tour of the house—but it should preview the rooms that matter.

Here’s what most teams include:

• High-level retail and business user journeys
• Basic integration touch points and data visibility
• Overall navigation and UX/UI philosophy
• Admin experience and system flexibility
• Intro to reporting & dashboard views
• Initial support models and vendor engagement approach

You’re not checking every box here. You’re deciding which boxes should matter most.

Grab the How-To Guide to align the agenda and share the Stakeholder Guide to prep attendees with tips on what to do before, during, and after the demo.

Download the How To | Initial Demos

Download the Stakeholder Guide: Digital Banking Platform Demos

What Initial Demo scoring looks like

Initial Demo scoring is designed to help your team move beyond impressions and start documenting structured, role-specific feedback early in the vendor evaluation process. Each stakeholder independently assesses how well the vendor delivers across key functional areas using an objective scale.

This is not about reaching consensus yet — it’s about building a clear, shared foundation for discussion. With this approach, you’ll surface early internal misalignments, identify red flags, and understand where a digital banking platform may (or may not) meet your needs.

Download the Initial Demo Scorecard

Don’t skip the step that sets the tone

The Initial Demo isn’t a formality, it’s your foundation.

Handled well, it keeps your digital banking vendor evaluation aligned, thoughtful, and built around your financial institution’s real-world needs.

You’ve been tasked with leading this transformation and this is one of the most important steps in setting your team up for early success. We’re here to make sure you don’t just watch a demo. You lead it.

Your toolkit to guide smarter demos, better notes, and more confident decisions — starting now.