Its ease of use makes it a joy to work with: it's a clearinghouse, a reply tool, and an organizational tool all in one.

As it has in the past two years, I'm sure it will continue to improve it's functionality in a few of its features. For example, I'd like our readers/editors to be able to receive submissions immediately instead of me having to assign everything, but remain on a blind level, and also not be able to decline the work, just leave notes as they currently can.

As I learn more about the software and the tools you have, it really has made the process overall from launch of the scholarship season, to the close and then the information from the system is essential for marketing to potential future donors.

I am very used to having to learn new software, through out my positions in the last several years. The reason I love Submittable, not because it's easy for me, BUT BECAUSE it's easy for submitters and judges to use. If I had to review the how-to's prior to every season to a new set of judges, it would take so much time and energy. That only is worth the fees we pay!

I do wish the forms had a little more ability to make them a bit prettier to look at. The size of the fonts is either super small, or HUGE. It would be nice to make the page look a bit prettier and closer in line with our branding.

The product is easy for applicants to use, with simple forms and clear application guidelines. Generally, we have had many applicants have no issues while applying, which is definitely a positive about the platform.

For administrative staff who work grant programs on the back-end, features such as advanced reporting are sorely lacking. It's difficult to build these reports and pull through the data you need. Additionally, there are many small issues that Submittable merely provides "work-arounds" for, rather than solving problems. For example - tables that are put directly into an application form export as a separate file, and then would need to be merged in order to package applications. While the platform might make the process of applying smooth for applicants, there seem to always be headaches for our staff when processing applications afterwards.

I like that it's a fairly easy platform to collect contest entries (which we have a lot of!). I like that I can set up an automated response (even though it's not always easy to figure out how to do that). I like that the personalized responses can add applicant's name.

I don't find Submittable to be very intuitive. I find myself having to google answers to my question- I'm usually able to successfully find the answer but it isn't user intuitive. Particularly, I think that setting up automated responses should be easier to find. Also, I often make the mistake where I click on a project and it takes me to the description of the form rather than what I'm looking for, the entries. I find myself scared to use the back button because it re-directs me to pages I'm not trying to go to. It's more of an issue on our end but people put so much weight on the "in progress" status etc which we just don't use so I wish there was a way to turn that off.

Quick response and helpful for the most part. I have heard of a few colleagues across the org, not as lucky in getting timely responses and help on their forms. As noted above, poor communication in some cases.

The robust workflow and ease of creating and editing/adjusting the application form are the best feature from our perspective. Little to no need for in-house IT support.

Reporting (exporting applicant/form data) is not intuitive but fudgeable. I've grdaully learned to make it work... kind of.We also have several separate Submittable contracts across our org, but we have not been bundled to provide greater cost savings across our groups as would seem more than fair considering the amount of business we give this platform. Also, I've heard from other colleagues that the account manger tends to change frequently, sometime with no notice or handoff.

Submittable made life so much easier. We drastically improved collaboration and communication. We were able to cut down our response times to submitters. We also received more submissions.

Pretty much every feature is a lifesaver. The workflows, templates, ratings, comments, etc. It's all very well thought out and makes collection and responding to submissions of any kind super easy. The ability to collect payment for contests or other submissions is also invaluable.

Honestly, there's nothing I dislike about this software other than maybe the cost. It's one of the few tools that I think is pretty much perfect as it is.

Efficiency

The software is intuitive and saves us tons of time. Customer support is always there quickly when we need something or have a question. We literally could not run our journal without it. It allows me to manage a large and complex team and hundreds of submissions at a time in pretty simple form.

Trying to view and work with the submission on the iPad is a little more clunky than I would like, but not a show stopper. I mostly use the desktop.

It's the standard and most familiar for writers, which was the initial reason I chose it. But what sold me was the truly outstanding customer support. From talking me through the set-up to dealing with submitters who get confused with all technology, with any aspect of using the software, they are prompt, polite, and efficient problem solvers. No other company I deal with in any aspect of my life has customer service this good.

I've used Submittable as a business owner, a submitter, and as someone with access to read submissions. Overall, it's a pretty easy interface that allows you to collaborate and keep submissions organized.

I'm pretty sure Submittable is the only well-known service of its type, at least at the moment, but with that said, it is easy to keep track of submissions and their status as they come in, they notify you, and you can have an account with multiple people to split up tasks.

There are some things that could be a bit more intuitive, like tagging people and seeing what others have been assigned. It could be nice to have a reminder for older submissions that haven't been voted on or received a response yet, as well.

Easy to build custom submission pages and link them on main sites or landing pages. Assignment is also very simple, as is setting up new users.

I'd love it if there were the option to pay per added user over the minimum. We're on a grandfathered plan, which is AWESOME, and I very much appreciate the kindness offered to online literary magazines, but to get up to the 10 user plan we would more than double what we're paying.

The only glitch I've had was when the "status" column was not working, but after contacting your service representatives, the problem was fixed within 24 hours. But that's not really a con, more a pro I guess.

As an editor, it keeps the entire process of submissions very organized. The ability to archive and track all the submissions that come through here, along with all the automatic data in graph form that Submittable contributes in regards to either our regular day to day submissions or our annual competition, is everything we want it to be. Not to mention that there are numerous places which one can tuck notes about this or that author whose work is on track to be published by us. In addition, allowing the person whose work we're considering to leave notes for us about their submission should parts of it be accepted elsewhere, is a huge bonus for any editor.

I seriously don't know how we functioned before having Submittable. We host festivals throughout the country bringing together art, music and wellness. This requires having submission forms for all 3, plus a number of others, including an Art Auction. Submittable became the solution that we didn't even know we needed. The Art Auction is just the latest example of something that we have done in the past but finally realized Submittable was the best method. But it was their customer support that was the key. It was through discussing our needs with them that we were able to go forward. As we began using the system, they were always there to answer questions, provide an answer and take our feedback, which then resulted in changes that made for a better experience. I find that they are still just an email away. This is rare, but is why I am here writing this now. As the Technical Director for O+, I am always looking for that technological answer, but I am also always weary as often new tech can go unused, can be un-user-friendly, can be daunting to learn, etc. which then makes it actually the wrong answer. Submittable is maybe the best example I can give to how tech can really be just the right thing. Thank you.

Easy to use, and can be used very broadly. Great customer service. Great design. Feature rich.

Managing other users and exporting info can be better.

It has been a positive experience for our team, not only has it improved our processes it has offered more tools for our team and clients.

Submittable offered the layout and tools needed to improve our submission process. Creating submission forms & portals is super easy and takes very little software experience to understand.

While it is easy to use and offers a great layout, the software is still in development changes and can be a bit limited to how creative a user can be. Submittable currently has a gallery view setting but only works with pictures- would love to view PPTX and PDF files as well.

It's ease of use. Straightforward layout. Very user friendly. I like the app. Allows me to organize my submissions to literary journals and keep track of when I need to submit them before deadlines.

The navigation within the new "Following" area. I feel like there should just be a direct submit button rather than a "save" button. Right now I find myself having to go to a drop down menu up top to get to the submissions page. This is an easy fix though.

Submittable saves money and trees and time. It's easy to track submissions (and track exactly how much you're spending on submission fees.) It's fairly customizable -- you can choose whether or not you want to be emailed when the status of your submission changes, which, for a sensitive artist type who tries to stay even-keeled during her 9-5, is key. Uploading documents is very easy.

I wish they had an option for users to save a cover letter template -- a letter that would auto-fill and then you could tweak as necessary. It would also be great if you could add a permanent​ bio to your account for prospective publishers -- they generally ask for this in the cover letter so it would save time.