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May 10, 2018

What has your experience with Snapdocs been like?

Filed under: Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 12:25 am

Different Notaries have different experiences. I notice that some Notaries login to Snapdocs every day to gain high placement in the algorithm. Others do nothing but complain of low fees and bad offers. A few Notaries tend to negotiate higher fees and sometimes get away with it. One Notarycomplained that if he doesn’t answer texts right away, he doesn’t get any offers. But, now he says he doesn’t get any offers at all.

Snapdocs has a preference system. If you are the Notary picked, you get a text first and a few minutes to respond. If you don’t get back to them, they auto-text a handful of other nearby Notaries. The system makes sense, but the pay is still low.

So, what has YOUR experience been like with Snapdocs?

Also read:
Comments on our blog and forum about snapdocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21299

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April 28, 2018

Snapdocs has a good algorithm, but…

Filed under: Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 10:36 am

Snapdocs has a good algorithm that sorts their Notaries well. The better ones are on top based on their reviews and performance and how recently they logged in. But, some of them are no longer in business unfortunately. Snapdocs lets you know if they have logged in during the last 45 days, but beyond that it is a crap shoot. There are many has beens on that site. Hmmm. The other problem is that their best Notaries are not that great and the general overall quality of Notaries on their site is dismal, but their technology is super.

I guess the various sites have different business models.

Snapdocs focuses on great technological platforms.
123notary focuses on having the best Notaries.
NotaryRotary has the closest Notaries and also has many high quality Notaries.
Signingagent.com has the best quantity of Notaries and NNA Certified, but not necessarily experienced or serious.

So, for each need, there is a niche in the market. The problem is that there are so many tens of thousands of mobile notaries, it is hard to keep track of all of them.

The other thing about Snapdocs that is interesting is that they show you Notaries who are really close to the job. Normally within 12 miles. That is great, but in areas where there aren’t so many Notaries you might not get so many good choices, and if you did, the choices would be too far. I guess it is hard to win.

123notary has the opposite problem. We list people who serve particular areas regardless of how far away they are, within reason. If they are more than 60 miles away, I generally do not list people that far unless it is a very remote area.

So, who provides the best search? I guess that depends on your search needs!

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You might also like:

Compilation of posts about Snapdocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21531

How does pricing work for top placements on 123notary?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19355

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July 3, 2017

Snapdocs’ Business Model Doesn’t Add Up

Filed under: Advertising,Popular on Facebook (very),Popular on Linked In — Tags: , — admin @ 9:15 am

SNAPDOCS’ BUSINESS MODEL DOESN’T ADD UP

It was the best of times, and the worst of times. SnapDocs has the best technology but the worst notaries. Their business model should last as long as the careers of the accountants who gave Warren Beatty the wrong envelope. A chain of Notaries is as good as its weakest link. Just ask the crummiest McDonalds about that. So in the long run, how good can SnapDocs’ service be?

Two out of three notaries interviewed can’t stand them. And these weren’t SNAP decisions! Will SnapDocs’ ship come in, or did it never leave the docks? Hold on – I’m getting a text. Let’s see… thirty dollars for a signing a hundred miles away, with two hundred pages and 120 fax backs… no thanks! Four out of five notaries surveyed agree that one out of five notaries… is an idiot! And recommend sugarless gum for the borrowers who step in it on their way to a signing.

On the other hand (apologies to the amputees) one out of three notaries (and I was never great at fractions) really like the convenience and quantity of work they get from SnapDocs. And the signing companies love the technology and the convenience. But the love won’t last any longer than the rescission period if they don’t maintain critical mass. The question is… with such a small number of notaries who like them, can this business model last over the long haul? Another factor to consider is that out of SnapDocs’ roughly 6000 notaries, only about 800 of them have logged in in the last thirty days. SnapDocs’ technology can text dozens of nearby notaries, but if each area averages only 7 notaries that actually log in, how effective can this technology be if a critical mass of notaries aren’t cooperating with it?

We also notice SnapDocs’ web stats were down 70% in December, while 123notary was only down 25%.How long before their business model SNAPS?

Whoops, I’m getting another text. Can’t you see I’m driving??

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You might also like:

If everyone complains about Snapdocs, why do they continue to grow?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19034

The Uber principle at Snapdocs — new blood
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18868

When did Notary Cafe become decaffeinated?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20770

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April 24, 2017

If everyone complains about Snapdocs, why do they continue to grow?

Filed under: Advertising,Popular on Facebook (A little),Popular on Linked In — Tags: — admin @ 7:07 am

Despite constant bickering on the part of Notaries, Snapdocs continues to grow. Perhaps it is the convenience. You can send a message to twenty people simultaneously. But, it’s not convenient for the Notaries, and they don’t get paid well either.

Should Notaries continue to be signed up on Snapdocs? If they are desperate! It just seems like a huge headache. But, if you thrive on quantity of low paying and annoying jobs, it sounds like low-ball heaven.

The fact is that Snapdocs grew all year. They had a slow month in August or September according to some webstats I saw. I have no idea why. Perhaps some technical issues? Or perhaps their competitors (me) did something good!

How long will Notaries put up with cattle calls, low fees, fax backs and micromanaging? And how much will Snapdocs continue to grow?

123notary is going to have to compete a little harder and add some new high-tech features to regain some of the market share lost to Snapdocs. But, what type of features will we use? Find out!

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You might also like:

Snapdocs is a bigger operation than what I thought
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19192

I felt like I was being used (Snapdocs assignment)
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18852

The Uber principle at Snapdocs — new blood
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18868

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March 4, 2017

SnapDocs is a bigger operation than I thought

Filed under: Popular Overall,Uncategorized — Tags: , — admin @ 10:34 pm

123notary is a small, but high quality organization that has a database of Notaries that is nationwide. We offer refined information that we check regularly for accuracy. We never experienced any serious competition until SnapDocs appeared in 2012. SnapDocs didn’t get too much serious traffic until 2015 when we started to really feel their presence.

But, they are not a mom & pop organization like we are. They are a huge technology company that processes 40,000 loans per month. They automate a lot of the back office processes that go into preparing a loan for the closing process as well as parts of the loan signing process such as finding a Notary.

SnapDocs charges $8 per loan signing according to what I have heard. If they have 40,000 loans per month, their income is $320,000 per month or about 4 million per year. They also have a team of programmers and engineers to keep their operation afloat.

They are located in San Francisco, CA with another venue in San Jose, CA which is the tech capitol of the world as far as I’m concerned.

I’m beginning to be concerned that we will lose a lot of market share due to them, especially if they get smarter about taking market share.

You might also like:

See our STRING about Snapdocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=snapdocs

The Uber principle at Snapdocs — new blood
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18868

The History of 123notary
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18868

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February 11, 2017

SnapDocs — thumbs up or thumbs down?

Filed under: Popular on Linked In,Popular on Twitter,Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 10:29 pm

Notaries who use SnapDocs not only get a ton of ratings from people who used them, but the ratings are anonymous. You wonder if the ratings are even based on reality — because they can say anything! One lady on NR was furious that she only got a 77%. I have no idea, is that good?

Your entire reputation is controlled by God knows who and with information that is not even necessarily even correct or given using integrity. Additionally, you don’t know WHY you got a thumbs down. Was it because your fee was too high? Was it because you didn’t answer your phone or email fast enough or because of a scheduling issue? You’ll never find out!

But, what about the Notaries? If something goes wrong it is automatically the Notary’s fault. The Notary is penalized on SnapDocs, but not the client.

The fact is that SnapDocs clients pay them big bucks to use this convenient and automated system that performs all sorts of automated functions for them. That is excellent and I commend them for that. However, they do not seem to care about the common Notary!

Maybe I should learn from all this and design some functions into 123notary to be for the benefit of the Notary! Notaries need someone to defend them, and the forum is great, but not enough! Maybe there’s another way.

In the meantime, SnapDocs gets a thumbs up for quantity of work. However due to the quantity of endless complaints from Notaries about their service, I wonder why Notaries who have any experience at all are willing to put up with this kind of headache…

You might also like:

See our STRING on Snapdocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=snapdocs

SnapDocs — I felt like I was being used!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18852

A comprehensive guide to Notary organizations
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=17088

Who is involved with 123notary behind the scenes?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18888

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January 18, 2017

Snapdocs grew tremendously in 2016, but NotaryRotary shrank!

Filed under: Advertising — Tags: — admin @ 7:21 am

I took a look at the stats of Snapdocs, NotaryRotary, and 123notary over the last few months. Here is what I noticed.

1. Snapdocs got increasing amounts of traffic during 2016 while 123notary & NotaryRotary lost traffic. My stats indicate that this December I got about 17% less visits to 123notary than last December for example. Alexa.com showed a huge increase in site rank in Snapdocs while showing a small decline in 123notary’s and NotaryRotary’s site rank which is based on overall traffic.

2. In September 2016, based on similarweb.com 123notary experienced a huge surge in traffic while Snapdocs & NotaryRotary experienced a huge decline. My Google Analytics showed a surge in traffic on 123notary, but in August, not September. So, perhaps similarweb.com is a little bit off (or completely off) in its reporting.

My personal stats show that 123notary lost 8% of traffic in 2016 as a whole compared to 2015 as a whole. Part of that is due to Snapdocs. But, Snapdocs traffic grew a lot over 2016 which means that we lost more during the last few months of the year. According to one stats site, Snapdocs traffic was double what 123notary’s was. However, their traffic is low-ball where 123notary gets a lot more high quality traffic.

On the other hand, Alexa.com shows that 123notary’s rank is roughly equal to Snapdocs. So, which source of information is the most reliable? In my experience Google Analytics is the most reliable and detailed source of web stats information. Unfofortunately, I do not have Google analytics on my competitors’ stats.

New Profiles
I’m trying to make sense of what is happening, but it is so complicated. 123notary added several hundred new profiles in August which could have lead to a rise in stats for us in September. But, our stats show that our spike was in August, not September which leads me to feel that there is a lag in the reporting on the other stats site

Social Media
Our social media took a huge dive in clicks starting around August and our Facebook performance affects our general web traffic.

What to do?
I am looking at this information completely baffled. I work hard every day to ensure the best quality search experience on 123notary. We get traffic that pays notaries well on 123notary. But, the total clicks matter to me as well, and clicks are far down. Do I add more profiles? Do I do more on social media? Do I create a better mobile site experience? Should we try to get more reviews? Or should I emphasize different information than I do now? I think the answer is all of the above!

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You might also like:

See our string on Snapdocs posts
http://blog.123notary.com/?tag=snapdocs

Which directories get the high paying signings?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19201

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January 7, 2017

Who and what is Snapdocs?

Filed under: Popular on Twitter,Popular Overall,Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 9:47 am

It is not a day that goes by the I don’t get a call into 123notary.com about SnapDocs. Who are they? How do I sign up with them? How much do they pay? And, more often than not, ‘They have destroyed my notary signing agent business’.

So let me start off for folks that don’t know – they are not a signing service. This is just a platform set up where notaries can register and create an account for free, upload their credentials. ex: commission, bond, E & O, background check, certifications etc. Once your credentials have been verified by the staff at SnapDocs

(I assume this means that they are making sure your documents are current) and you have completed your profile you are all set to receive notary assignments. You set your profile to receive jobs via email and/or text. Hiring companies that have also signed up can now choose a notary from the site. It costs the signing company that utilizes this service 8.00 per assignment so I have been told. Ouch! The signing services can also rate your work and/or performance. You however, cannot rate the signing service. Personally, I don’t think this is fair. There are just to many of them that don’t pay and really take advantage of us.

Several of the signing service companies that use it have stated that they love the interface and the user experience is good – for them. However, on the other hand many notaries have expressed concern that companies that use to pay regular and a fair fee have now begun to also offer lowball offers. I assume that is because of the 8.00 fee to use the platform. The notaries also resent that there companies no longer contact them direct via telephone. The problem with this is their is not enough information that is given in the text or email. It tells you the date and time and whether it requires faxbacks but usually nothing else. IMO, this is not enough information given to make a decision whether to take a assignment or not.

Personally, I deactivated my profile. I got annoyed with all the low ball offers. It was a waste of my time. So there you have it. I would love to know how the rest of you feel.

Thanks for reading, be safe.

You might also like:

Snapdocs business model doesn’t add up
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19290

Snapdocs thumbs up or thumbs down?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19190

Does knowledge still matter as a signing agent?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=19887

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November 26, 2016

I felt like I was being used (Snapdocs assignment)

Filed under: Popular on Facebook (comments),Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (some),Popular on Linked In,Popular on Twitter,Popular Overall,Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 9:56 am

Another Notary worked for Snapdocs and had an emotional reaction after the fact. She got one of those low-ball assignments, took it, and then complained she felt like she was being used. If you don’t like working for below market rates, nobody is putting a gun to your head! This new signer was concerned about wear and tear on her car, ink, paper, gas, etc. The bottom line here is that anyone who uses you is using you no matter the price. You sell your services for money. The question is, do you know the value of your time and do you know the itemization of your expenses for various types of jobs?

There is no set value on your time, so you have to create your own value. If you don’t know your value, how will you accept or reject jobs. For newbies, the value of getting work under your belt is much more than the value of your dignity. An inexperienced Notary in my book is not worth much. If you have less than 1000 signings and no certifications, I personally wouldn’t use you for anything. If you have 5000 signings and three certifications, then you become valuable as long as you have a good track record.

SIGNING CO: Would you do this modification for $100?

NOTARY: I will not – I have morals

SIGNING CO: How about $1,000,000?

NOTARY: Well, okay…

SIGNING CO: How about $150

NOTARY: What kind of Notary do you think I am?

SIGNING CO: We’ve already determined that, we’re just haggling over the price.

You might also like:

Do you compare yourself with others on the 123notary search results
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=18882

What is a high spot on 123notary worth?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16720

The state of Notary advertising in 2016
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16738

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November 19, 2016

The Uber principle at Snapdocs. New blood!

Filed under: Popular on Facebook (A little),Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular Overall,Signing Company Gossip — Tags: — admin @ 11:31 pm

Snapdocs has grown in popularity in the last half year. Many of our clients have gotten a lot of business from them. One guy got 350 signings from them while another got 150 last year. Most Notaries are fed up with the low-balling and hand-holding. But, the ones who can tolerate the low-ball practices are getting volume. At low prices after you deduct your toner, paper, gas, and phone-time, you might not end up with much, but at least you get something.

My question is, can these guys stay in business with this business model of low-balling the Notaries? So many Notaries are so sick of it and drop out as a result of these practices. The answer lies with Uber. Uber burns out their drivers very quickly. I forget how long the average driver lasts, but it is not more than a few weeks. They just can’t stand the low pay and difficult situations they are put in. Snapdocs seems to pray on new blood too. Although most Notaries we know have dropped Snapdocs (we should call them SnapDrops) there seems to be an infinite supply of new Notaries with no knowledge, no experience, and most important, no self-respect who work for pennies.

On the other hand, perhaps the signing and title companies will get sick of bad quality Notaries and come back to 123notary where we deliver the highest quality search results in the business. I manicure my directory daily for accuracy of data and quality of Notaries. People value quality, but do they value it enough to pay for it?

I estimate that 123notary is losting 7% of our search volume due to Snapdocs. On the other hand, we are not losing revenue simply because we make our money from Notaries who get paid for high paying Title work for the most part. The Notaries who do low-ball work don’t have much money, don’t spend much money, and won’t lose us much money if they wandered into other pastures. So, we’ll keep our business model of quality search results and quality Notaries over here and hope for the best.

To sum it up. As long as SnapDocs has new blood and the Title companies will stoop to the level of accepting untrained, inexperienced and unqualified Notaries, SnapDocs will stay in business. Scary to think — but true! On a brighter note, they did an excellent job of harnessing modern technology in a way that nobody else did or wants to!

.

You might also like:

Compilation of posts about SnapDocs
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21531

Opinions about Snapdocs in the forum & blog comments
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=21299

Shark Tank – Notarizing in the shower for executives
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=20511

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