Cost of the whistleblowing hotline | Tips and rules

The rule of whistleblowing services is simple and effective — outsourcing is always cheaper than in-house work. But how much exactly? And what should you choose as a small company or as a big corporation? We've got some answers for you which prove that whistleblowing services are affordable and customizable.

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What is the starting point for deciding on whistleblowing services? Imagine it as a Lego — you take a basis, and other features add up. You might check a pricing model of Ethicontrol and a prices' breakdown, but this time we will go beyond the general tariffs and tell you what is included in the “whistleblowing package”.

So, what makes up the price of your whistleblowing platform? Several components — it is fair to say that price is calculated individually based on the features requested. No scam involved — it is the specifics of the services. What's in it?

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Size of the company matters. The bigger your company is, the more requests will be received and the processes involved. And, as a consequence, more triggered investigations. Organizations with different numbers of employees belong to different categories — therefore, have different needs in the platform's functionality. 

Setup fee. If your company has additional requirements regarding integrations and features, it will be reflected in the price. The same rule applies to the whistleblowing hotline — the bigger your company is, the more complicated setup you might need to cover all your needs. Organizations with up to 1000 employees rarely require additional adjustments, so if it's your case, you can rely on a basic setup fee.

The number of users in the system determines the price. It is not the case in Ethicontrol — we don't charge for user seats in the system, but the general practice is the opposite. For 50, 100, and 500 users, you'll have to choose a different tariff.

The functionality of the system. It is mostly about the channels you will use and communication format: hotline, chatbot, email, and more. A hotline with live operators is always more expensive than a hotline with a smart machine response. The live hotline is the most expensive system component (and it's worth it), but there are cheaper alternatives.

If the company is multinational and operates in different countries and continents, new languages have to be added — it increases the price of the final system setup. The same happens if the company works under multiple jurisdictions. Still, if you don't want a live hotline, other channels are much cheaper to adjust to different languages and legislation. 

Use of the system — level and depth. The system can be used for reacting, categorizing, and investigating — or only reacting, for example. Workflows added to the system, and data storage, all add up to the costs. The same applies to access rights management in the system — if your company requires a complicated organizational structure with separate rights for internal audit and compliance teams, the costs will go up. If you need custom features such as regional division, it is also one of the cost drivers.

Additional modules in the system — analytics, dossier, and automatic search for connections are all custom features for companies that require more functionality.

Level of customization. We can say without any doubt that the system itself is relatively inexpensive — what makes it costly is the time taken by the process, the salary of employees, and contractor's costs. The more additional features you require, the more time and money it will take for Ethicontrol and any other company to roll out the system, ensuring it is properly tested by the client.

Data servers in different countries. It might be costly to comply with personal data protection regulations if the servers are located in different countries. And they have to be compliant with different legislations under different jurisdictions — keep it in mind during the setup and while you're thinking about the budget.

Consultations and code of ethics. Ethicontrol always promotes and advocates for the path of Painless ethics management. It means that we aren't only interested in giving you the product, but maintaining it and making it work efficiently. It may require some consultations, additional user training, and help with the code of ethics in the company. In Ethicontrol, 'mentorship' is mostly free for our clients — however, you may consider consultations as a cost driver when it comes to different solutions and companies.

User training. We've briefly touched the surface of it in consultations — the same costs may apply to user training, and even a separate app or solution might be developed. We do believe that reporters have to be trained, so you could see the results later — they should know their rights, be aware of security measures taken by a third party, and know the procedure of reporting.

Depending on the company you choose for the whistleblowing services, it might be not included, might be included for a symbolic price, or be a cost driver. Still, it's an important component not only of the pricing model but of the whistleblowing philosophy. 

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If you think we're over with the pricing, that's not it — we'll be covering the financial benefits of having a whistleblowing platform very soon.

To get more details about the whistleblowing platform, prices, and solutions for your company, book a demo with us — we're happy to help.