ljp law librarian webex june 16, 2011 ljp law librarian webex june 16, 2011 1

LJP Law Librarian WebexJune 16, 2011

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Agenda

1. Introduction of Law Journal Press (LJP) Attendees

2. Presentation Followed by Your Questions

3. Please Email Your Questions During the Session to [email protected]

4. The LJP Online Development Plan

5. Online Conversion Schedule

6. IP Authentication and Site Licenses

7. Business Policies

8. Invoicing/Customer Care

9. May-June 2011 Survey/Planned Enhancements

10. Questions

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Please Email Your Questions During the Session to [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


What prompted LJP to convert to online? Where is ALM headed with online tools?

• Increasing subscriber demand for the content in online format.

• Trend in institutional library budgets toward online resources.

• The decline of the loose-leaf service.

• Desire to create a better experience for users and to present analytical material in a more useful way.

• Initial focus on a book-like experience to aid transition to online for all user groups.

• Long-term goal of restructuring some of the digitized LJP book content with other ALM content to create new, more robust research sites with news, analysis, forms, community, etc.

• Moves ALM toward a common content repository and platform for all ALM products which will result in a greater breadth of content offerings to customers.

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What has occurred?

• We truly were motivated to create a better and more relevant experience for our end users.

• We believe, and have received end-user comments, that we have created an accessible, superior research tool.

• But we faced unexpected challenges in execution of the plan.

• We needed to communicate more effectively regarding the conversion from supplement to annual pricing.

• We have made some modifications (e.g., new product offers, discounts, IP authentication usage) to adapt to your needs, are slowing the conversion process, and are taking steps to correct any remaining service issues.

• We believe that we have first-rate authors, content, and functionality and we are driven to correct any errors and to satisfy subscribers.

• We know that we have to communicate more effectively with you.

• We hope that you will bear with us and we want to rebuild your loyalty to LJP.

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What market research did LJP conduct prior to implementing its plan?

• Informal survey at 2009 AALL in DC (July 2009)

• One-on-one interviews with select librarians (July – August 2009)

• Customer survey garnering 486 responses (August 2009)

• Two in-person focus groups with attorneys and librarians (Fall 2009)

• Usability testing with attorneys and librarians at beta stage (April 2010)

• Beta demo with scripted questions at 2010 AALL in Denver (July 2010)

• Recent survey garnering 426 responses sought input on policies, enhancements, and communications (May -- June 2011)

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LJP Market Research Learnings

• It would be easier to adjust to annual pricing and the new options for budget purposes if the conversion were spread over a year-long period.

• Continue to offer each product individually; no forced libraries.

• Pricing

• The predictability of annual pricing was preferred for budgeting purposes.

• Resistance to price increases for releases within a fiscal year under the old system.

• The advisability of adding updating material throughout the year apart from the updating releases.

• Annual pricing suited to online model; practical difficulties in charging upon the release date once material is provided online.

• Product Packaging

• Trend that firm/law school budgets and users are increasingly moving to online.

• Librarian comments that print/online bundle was preferred as the default since they had to serve varying user groups within institutions.

• Majority of feedback that online only and print/online bundle offers were acceptable if pricing was kept at the price points tested.

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Did LJP communicate the changes to us prior to the conversion?

• We did and, given librarian comments, tried to balance adequate notification while avoiding the appearance of spamming.

• Notice provided in Summer/Fall 2010 prior to launch of the conversions.

• Demo and flyer provided at AALL in July 2010.

• Letter to subscribers in October 2010 alerting them to conversion method and schedule for upcoming releases.

• Notice with each update and invoice stating that subscriber would receive via email (if we have their email address) or by postcard (if we don’t) instructions on how to activate their online account.

• But we obviously didn’t communicate effectively enough.

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Where is LJP in the online conversion schedule? What adjustments are you making due to customer feedback?

• As of the end of May 2011, LJP had converted 113 of the approximately 150 LJP titles that it plans to convert.

• The LJP conversion process was scheduled to end in December but we are slowing down the conversion until we address some critical issues.

• We will be suspending conversion of the remaining existing products in the 2011 conversion schedule from per release to annual pricing.

• Titles not converted will be digitized and we will permit early access to the online product for anyone interested in testing it.

• Once we have resolved the critical issues outstanding, we will convert the remaining products to annual services in 2012, giving subscribers ample notice of the date of conversion.

• We will, however, launch any new titles in both print and online format.

• Any new LJP titles from 2012 forward will be simultaneously published in print and online formats and we plan to move toward creating new online research tools.

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What are the use policies for online?

• Subscribers can use their subscription to Law Journal Press Online just like they would use a print edition – the login can be shared and used by any individual within the Law Firm or any current employee of the Law Firm remotely. For more flexibility we’ve also created group accounts (see below). We modified this policy in response to librarian requests.

• As would occur with a print subscription the only limit to using a Law Journal Press book online is the same limit the book has. For each copy of a book that a firm or Library has, one person may access that book online concurrently.

• GROUP ACCOUNT -- We can set up a group or multi-user account, where each user gets his or her own login and can benefit from our high level of personalization features and functionality, and you may purchase additional users to any single title as needed.

• A firm may create individual logins for an unlimited number of users which may then access any title in the firm’s collection. Again the only limitation is number of concurrent users.

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Is IP authentication possible? Will I lose any functionality with IP authentication?

• We provide a firm or law school library with a group account that leverages IP authentication to make it effortless for the institution or users to access Law Journal Press Online without an individual login.

• Some of the personalized features are not available when a user logs in with IP Authentication such as Bookmarks, Notes, Highlights, and Folders, however even with IP Authentication you can provide your users with their own log in so they can both access these features as well as log into Law Journal Press online while away from the office.

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• Multi-office firms can leverage their entire collection by creating one Group Account through Law Journal Press online which will allow all offices to access all titles the firm may have spread out throughout it’s offices.

• For multi-office firms we will also offer site wide pricing. The details further explaining how your firm can use online are available by contacting our Account Representatives at 877- 807-8076.

What is your site license policy?



Can LJP handle installment billing? Can I still be invoiced by release?

• No, not at this time. We do not currently have the systems capability to handle monthly installment billing or consolidated statements. This is, however, on our list of issues to explore.

• We are, as mentioned, suspending conversion to annual subscriptions for a number of products from June through the end of 2011.

• But we will moving to annual yearly subscription invoicing once products are converted to online.

• We encourage feedback from customers, however, and are seriously examining all payment options that may help subscribers.

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Is there a print-only option?

• No, there is not for the products already converted to online.

• We are encouraging the conversion to online but understand that libraries serve a variety of users.

• Subscribers will be offered two options once a book is available online:

(1) online-only format; and,

(2) an online/print bundle priced slightly higher than the online-only option.

Online is included in our offerings whether or not you choose to utilize it.

• BUT if subscribers are not in a position to handle online access in their facility they should contact one of our Account Representatives ([email protected], 877-807-8076) to discuss their needs. We understand your concerns and are going to try to accommodate all subscribers where possible.

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Why was there a delay in receiving corrected invoices?

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Problem

• For those receiving special discounts, there was a delay in creating revised invoices. Customers did not receive corrected invoices in a timely manner.

Reason

• LJP had not anticipated, given its market research, that there would be as much resistance to the product packages offered.

• The re-invoicing required was a manual process.

• Systems changes were required and took longer than anticipated. This delayed shipment of the corrected invoices to customers.

Immediate solution

• Corrected invoices can now be produced from the system and will be run more frequently.

• It may still, however, take 2-3 weeks for a corrected invoice to arrive.


What other invoicing problems have occurred? How are you addressing them?

Problem

• Customers received collection notices when they hadn’t yet received corrected invoices to pay.

Reason

• Miscommunication between ALM and AMS led to collections notices not being timed to ship a suitable period of time after the arrival of the corrected invoices.

• We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

Immediate solution

• We will continue to work more closely with our collections group to give customers adequate time to receive and remit payment for a corrected invoice prior to hearing from collections.

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What other invoicing problems have occurred? How are you addressing them?

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Problem

• Subscribers may have received a corrected invoice for one product but may not have seen the correction on subsequent invoices for different products.

Reason

• Our current invoicing system does not allow us to apply corrected invoice amounts by account to all invoices.

• Each product’s invoice must be corrected manually and individually at this time.

Immediate Solution

• We are working on a systems solution to tag accounts and apply applicable discounts to all products for the account.

• We are suspending conversion of products until this and other systems issues are resolved.



• VP, Operations Abby DeMillo recently joined ALM.

• Abby has held key leadership roles at McGraw Hill, Scholastic, and Newbridge Communications.

• Leading the transformation of our traditional customer service/fulfillment area to a more customer-centric Customer Experience Management model.

• While we have focused in the immediate term on manual solutions, we are dedicated to implementing longer-term systems solutions.

• We are creating a new position to act as a liaison to the community who will help handle issues that arise more effectively.

• Our Telephone Sales and Customer Care groups have been moved to the same location as of May 2011 to encourage more seamless handling of issues.

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How do you intend to improve service generally?



LJP is going to communicate more effectively with the librarian community and end-users in the future Suggestions from the May-June 2011 Survey

• Customer surveys

• One-on-one interviews

• Online focus groups

• Customer Advisory Boards

• In-person focus groups

• Trial users

• Reps meeting directly with librarian groups

• AALL/CRIV inserts

• Customer service

• Competitive market research

If you would be interested in participating in our efforts, please email us at [email protected].

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How will LJP incorporate my feedback on the product?

• We are listening to all customer feedback on content, functionality, and business processes, documenting and making certain that we develop solutions that resolve issues and strengthen our products.

• Functionality and content improvements will be assessed for importance to customers, prioritized, and costed.

• We expect some of these changes to be relatively easy to make (e.g., removing the watermark from pages when you export a section of a book to a PDF).

• Others may involve more development work, will be more costly, and will require some time to implement.

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Highlights from the May-June 2011 Survey

Responses based on agreeing “somewhat” or “completely.”

• Nearly two-thirds of firms prefer online.

• Nearly half of all institutions are not buying print.

• Four out of five agreed that the certainty of annual pricing is preferred.

• Four out of five believe LJP offers good value for the price.

• More than two-thirds said that a print/online bundle was preferred if pricing was reasonable.

• We’ve heard your comments on customer care and are committed to improving your overall customer experience.

If you disagree with the findings, we encourage you to participate. We will send a survey to all of today’s attendees.

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What enhancements are envisioned for the near future?

May/June 2011 Survey (Percentages reflect a response of “Very Interested”)

• 68% Ability to print paragraphs or selected text rather than sections.

• 63% Ability to print with or without notes, bookmarks, highlights.

• 57% Additional links to cases, statutes, regulations.

• 49% Addition of state-specific publications.

• 49% Ability to purchase chapters, forms, news articles.

• 37% Share bookmarks, notes, folders.

Note that these are initial results only. Segmentation is required to analyze the appeal of features to various user groups.

If you have suggestions or comments regarding enhancements, please email [email protected].




Questions?

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ljp law librarian webex june 16, 2011 ljp law librarian webex june 16, 2011 1

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