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June 16, 2011

DocuSign – Signatures Without the Ink

In today’s fast-paced business environment, people are rarely sitting at their desks when important contracts come in. So what’s a businessperson to do when a document needs to be signed and there’s no fax machine nearby? With DocuSign, people can put their legally binding signatures on all sorts of documents and contracts using nothing more than a laptop computer or an iPad.

Whether you’re a salesperson, a remote worker, or a real estate agent who spends most of the day driving around town, DocuSign is a web-app that will allow you to finalize deals quickly and without the need for any pens, paper, or fax machines. Select a pricing plan based on the size of your company and the ways you plan on utilizing the app. Once you’re signed up, you can upload any document to the site and enter a recipient’s email address. Mark all the locations where your document needs to be signed, and click Send. DocuSign will send a message to your recipient inviting him or her to review and sign the document. The web-app will then walk the recipient through the signature process, pointing out each location that needs to be electronically signed and signaling when the signing process is complete. DocuSign gives recipients the option to select or write their own signature, which ensures that documents signed with DocuSign are just as legally binding as those signed with a pen and paper.

When all the appropriate signatures have been collected, DocuSign will send a notification letting everyone know the document is complete. Users can then download or print the document, or keep it saved in their DocuSign account to be referred back to at any time. For businesspeople who hate the hassle of obtaining signatures from multiple parties, DocuSign takes away the stress and speeds up the process.

Practical Uses:

  • Sign real estate contracts while you’re sitting in a car
  • Get important documents signed and returned immediately
  • Ensure all the contracts your employees sign are legally binding
  • Have remote workers sign contracts, even if they don’t own fax machines

Insider Tips:

  • Signatures obtained with DocuSign are compliant with the U.S. E-Sign Act
  • DocuSign offers full integration with Salesforce
  • Users can create templates to speed up the process of sending contracts
  • DocuSign technology can be incorporated into other new web-applications

What we liked:

  • People can sign legally binding documents using their mobile devices
  • Users can markup documents and negotiate on the terms within DocuSign
  • DocuSign users can track the status of their sent documents at any time
  • Realtors can sign up for a special DocuSign edition that lets them send branded agreements to their clients

What we didn’t like:

  • DocuSign’s site has so many options and features that it can be difficult to know where to begin

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: 2003
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: Seattle, Washington
  • Founded by: Tom Gonser
  • Web site: http://www.DocuSign.com

Costs:

  • Basic plans start at $19.99 per month, per user
  • Standard plans start at $24.99 per month, per user
  • Enterprise plans with custom pricing options

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