In a online environment where transactions between two or more parties take place, the protection of data is crucial for all parties involved. In some cases the actual signing process may be adequate and meet E-Signature requirements, but accessibility could cause problems.
Take the case of Karr vs. Dillard Store Services, where a employee brought a suit claiming race discrimination, and the employer attempted to force a signature of the customer on a required arbitration agreement, via the company’s in-house built technology. Although the actual agreement had the employees signature on it, the employee denied knowingly signing the contract. Later on it was learned that the employer had repeatedly insisted on the employee’s signature. The Electronic Signature process used by the employer was E-Sign compliant, but a case was made since the system was set up in a way where the employees supervisor had access to the employee’s account and could actually log in and sign as the employee. Moreover, the plaintiff claimed that her supervisor signed the arbitration agreement, without the consent of the employee, during a “demonstration” of how the technology works. What the court was deciding on, in essence, was a electronic signature created by someone logged in to the plaintiff’s account. The court declined to attribute the purported electronic signature to the plaintiff and thus the arbitration agreement was unenforceable, reasoned by inadequate procedures to maintain passwords and restrict access to unauthorized parties.
Restricting access to unauthorized user and having a strong security level is becoming increasingly important and in this case we can see that access to users within the system must also be restricted to some extent. With Sertifi you can be assured that all accounts are only accessible only by authorized members since users can only retrieve their own passwords and “Super Administrative” access is limited to files signed and sent by users, not the actual signature. We are constantly increasing our security standards making sure our customers are in the safest environment possible when signing.
Forrester Research is one of the leading market research companies providing proprietary research data for businesses and markets worldwide. In the latest edition of “Inquiry Spotlight”, a quarterly release on the latest market trends, the topic of discussion is Electronic Signatures. Specifically, how companies implement e-signatures, which markets are using e-sign the most, and who the major vendors in the Esign marketspace are.
Sertifi is mentioned among the preferred SaaS vendors for offering a economical and efficient way to get agreements signed fast and with very little implementation costs as compared to long-incumbent e-signature vendors who process and store documents in-house. In addition, the high costs of infrastructure and maintenance for a in-house application would make a service like this inefficient for most companies.
Regardless of how electronic signatures are implemented, the major point was made clear – implementing Electronic Signatures increases cost efficiency while saving companies time and money.
In 2008, Sertifi introduced a Address Book feature built specifically for customers sending contracts to a same set of signers. The newest version of the address book has been treated to some major visual and structural reconstruction offering more options such as the ability to edit contact information, create groups of signers, quickly add and delete contacts to a transaction straight from “Create a Request” page. Here is how it works:
While Sertifi’s Esign solution is a perfect fit for organizations currently relying on the cumbersome process of getting documents finalized with handwritten signatures, we are pleased to announce a “Quorum Approval” module for all your organization’s internal approval needs such as Expense Reports, Requests for Authorizations, etc. Just imagine – no more scanning, faxing, interoffice mailing, etc. paperwork to get approvals via handwritten signatures! Instead, simply utilize Sertifi’s “Quorum Approval” module to streamline the process.
Example: An approval request for an Expense Report is sent to 3 individuals internally and only 2 individuals are required to approve. The request would automatically be finalized once 2 of the 3 approvals are received. See below screenshot and/or contact your Sales Representative for details.
InterCall – the world’s largest conferencing provider offering audio, web and video conferencing solutions for effective business communications – Says…
”Like most organizations, InterCall’s agreements are not completely finalized until our clients have signed. Our goal was to reduce the amount of friction in the signing process. By deploying Sertifi we have reduced our contract close cycle by almost 50%. In addition, Sertifi has also enabled us to streamline the internal contract processes.”
Without being said, any salesperson could tell you that the most cumbersome part of the sales cycle comes at the worst time possible. Translated: Salespeople will jump through any imaginable hoop to actually get the contract signed.
Traditionally, contracts are either sent by fax or through overnight mail. Once signed, they are sent back in the same time consuming way. This painfully slow process can end up taking up weeks, when it should only take minutes if not seconds. Thankfully there are alternatives to the signing process. The following are three ways to reduce your contract close cycle via Sertifi as an OnDemand solution or integrated seamlessly within CRMs such as Salesforce.com.
1.) Reduce friction in the signing process. Sertifi provides a leading electronic signature platforms, allowing users to send, sign, retrieve and track contracts in real time. A plethora of Sertifi clients have experienced reduction of over 40% in their contract closing time, as well as significantly cut the costs for sending contracts.
2.) Track Signer Activity. Sertifi’s solution enables a salesperson to view when contracts have been opened, forwarded, signed, etc. Sertifi clients such as Intercall and Careerbuilder are using this feature to follow up in a timely manner on contracts out for signature. If the signer hasn’t opened the contract, then its time for a call – wouldn’t you say?
3.) Automatic Reminder System. As our email inboxes get clogged, it is overly easy to misplace and/or forget about tasks that need to be completed. Sertifi clients can set scheduled “signing reminder” emails that are sent to their signers at pre-determined frequency. This not only expedites the signing process, but, allows the salesperson to move on to the next deal faster.
Sertifi’s Esign solution can now be integrated directly within your Microsoft Outlook account – making sending requests for signature that much easier. Sending out a contract is now as easy as sending out emails. Type your message, upload your document, and Send! Contact your Sertifi Sales Representative today to learn more about this new custom module!
Our first Chicago Networking Event was a success!
We would like to thank all those who attended and helped create a wonderful environment last night! We would also like to thank the management of Powerhouse for providing the venue and kept the snacks flowing throughout the evening. For those who missed out we will be hosting similar events in the future so stay posted!
Christine from National Auto Tools Says…
“National Auto Tools is excited about joining the Sertifi team. We have struggled for so long trying to find a good solution to our endless faxing and filing of paper based contracts. Now, sending out a request for signature is basically as fast as clicking a button. Sertifi’s Esign solution has also has brought more security to our company and we have peace of mind that signed contracts are stored securely online.
Moving to electronic signatures has been the best decision National Auto Tools could have made. Our Sertifi sales representative was also extremely helpful in answering all of our questions presale. Thank you for giving our company the answer we needed.”
Join Chicago area tech leaders at a monthly networking and happy hour at POWERHOUSE Restaurant and Bar on November 19th. Meet local representatives and entrepreneurs of leading IT solution providers, exchange contact information, and discuss alliance opportunities.
Chicago Tech Leaders - Networking Event
Wednesday, November 19th
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
POWERHOUSE Restaurant and Bar
West Loop - 215 N. Clinton St. - Near Green, Pink and Metra Lines
Complimentary Hors D’oeuvres & Cash Bar
For more information contact Matt Kendrall: (312)638-9038
