Introduction: 18 Months of Trainings Across 4,000+ Customers
Over the past 18 months, the Column team has conducted bimonthly self-serve trainings for 4,000+ government agencies, law firms, and businesses required to publish legal notices in local newspapers. These trainings are a free service offered to our publishing partners who are launching Column’s self-serve software for their customers and community. Each training provides a comprehensive overview of how to take advantage of the self-serve process, including How to Register, How to Place a Notice, How to Approve Proofs, How to Pay Invoices, How to Receive Affidavits, How to Configure Account Settings, etc.
Throughout the training, our team conducts real-time polls to evaluate what participants like most about the self-serve process and what features they are most excited to use in Column.
Using the poll results, we’ve compiled a report to outline key findings and insights into why customers prefer the self-serve experience designed by Column.
What do you like most about Column's self-serve process?
Responses from 4,000+ Participants
Nearly 50% of Customers Most Enjoy "Document Upload" Feature
Column’s platform allows users to upload their notices in various formats (e.g., PDF, Word). We find this feature to be essential for frequent clients who use pre-drafted or templated notices, especially as PDF is one of the most common formats and can be the trickiest to copy and paste text while retaining the formatting. Unlike competitors, which primarily rely on text input via copy-and-paste, Column’s document upload feature offers more flexibility and adapts to a variety of customer workflows.. It also enhances our text editor by extracting content from uploaded files, allowing users to fine-tune formatting directly within the platform.
25% of Customers Prefer Upfront Proof Verification/Approval
Since Column’s platform is programmed with the exact formatting and design specifications of each newspaper partner, customers can view and download an immediate proof before submitting their notice. We understand that one of the primary back and forth tasks between newspapers and their customers is typically approving a proof via email. Government and law firm clients note that this feature, in particular, makes them feel confident as to the accuracy of their notice, allowing them to detect and correct errors without needing to get in touch with the publisher.
Price Estimates Reinforce Customers' Desire for Transparency
16% of customers appreciate the platform’s price estimate feature. Unlike competitors, Column’s price transparency is integrated directly with the text editor. As customers make changes to their notices, the calculator updates in real time based on the specific formatting and pricing models of each of our publishing partners.
What is the most helpful account setting in Column?
Responses from 4,000+ Participants
Nearly 30% of Customers Most Enjoy Robust Invoicing & Payment Features
Our invoicing features simplify accounting processes for organizations and offer multiple billing options. Government clients sometimes prefer to pay for invoices in bulk, or receive a monthly statement, and Column offers both options! We also store all invoices for customers in their account in perpetuity for easy access.
25% of Customers Prefer Access to a Digital Archive of Affidavits
Customers of Column partner publications typically receive access to affidavits within 2-3 business days upon a notice completing its run, which is faster than other platforms Other platforms release the affidavit in 7-10 business days. Our affidavits are accessible in perpetuity for clients and stored in their accounts. We notify them via email notification as soon as the affidavit is ready.
Customers Find Email Notifications Essential to Customer Experience
20% of customers find the email notification system particularly useful. These alerts notify users when affidavits are ready, when invoices are due, and when payments are overdue. Customers can also control the types of notifications they receive, so they only hear from us when they need to! As a result of our invoice reminder emails, Column achieves an on-time payment rate of 92%, supporting publishers with timely collections and improving cash flow.
What Training Participants Shared with Column
The Impact of Self-Serve Across Our 750+ Publication Partners
We are proud to have supported so many publications and their staff in the transition to offering a self-serve experience to their customers. We have two main goals when helping newspapers make the lead: 1) deliver an easy & intuitive user experience and 2) strengthen the newspaper’s relationship with their customers. The results of this work speak for themselves.
For Newspapers Using Column
- 83% of government notices are placed self-serve
- 77% of notices placed by law firms are self-serve
- 80% of notices placed by businesses are self-serve
With high self-serve rates, newspaper staff using Column can process 3.7x times as many orders, increasing staff efficiency by 270%. Across the board, Column is helping staff and their customers unlock efficiency in what has previously been a time-consuming and tedious task for everyone involved — from long email threads to games of phone tag to a messy web of email attachments.
Want to see Column for yourself?
We are always looking to welcome new publishing partners into the Column network. If you’re interested in seeing a full demonstration of our products & services, then book time below with one of our sales team members. We look forward to meeting!