Keeping the Personal Touch with E-Signatures

The more digital technology creeps into the nooks and crannies of our lives, the more people ask: Can technology and personal interaction co-exist? 

After all, with e-signatures—you don’t need to sit across a desk from a client, a vendor or a patient to get a document signed. It can be done whenever and wherever is most convenient for the signee.

There’s no denying that digital software, technology and automation are changing the world and how we interact. But anyone in sales, marketing, patient services, client services—okay, any business—knows that personal relationships are the foremost driver of success. It’s a misconception to think that e-signatures or any other digital technology will squash opportunities for face-time with customers – or ruin important relationships. In fact, they can have quite the opposite effect.

With a well-designed strategy, e-signatures can improve business and organizational experiences among the communities you serve. Here are four ways to infuse a personal touch into your e-signature program:

Take it to your customer’s doorstep.

E-signatures are designed to promote convenience. So why not give customers the mobility they desire with the communication that you need to maintain a strong relationship by taking the signing experience directly to them—in person.

It’s like a house call, but with technology that makes it easier than ever. 

Our client Alamo Federal Credit Union used SIGNiX Independent E-Signature™
technology to develop a concierge banking experience. Credit union staff drove an “Alamobile” to members’ homes or offices where they would walk them through loan documents. Members were able to use e-signatures to sign loan documents on-the-spot with a tablet.

Members never had to leave their home or office, but they still received personal attention. Win-win.

Enhance the in-house experience.

With e-signatures, all paperwork can remain organized and automated in a digital workflow where it can be automatically and securely sent to a customer’s email for digital storage and safekeeping. Further, Independent E-Signature™ technology improves the safety and longevity of a signed document. A digital audit trail records every part of the signing process, and the legal evidence of a signature stays with the document forever.

Our partnership with Wacom makes in-office e-signatures incredibly intuitive. Signing with a Wacom signature pad feels exactly like signing with pen and paper, but everything stays digital. Plus, the signature pad technology collects biometric information related to your specific penmanship style and pressure, further protecting your documents from fraud.

(Stay tuned—we believe in the power of an in-person digital signing experience so much that soon we’ll be a direct reseller of Wacom digital signature pads.)

Follow up.

It may sound simple, but it’s good to just check in with your customers about how the e-signature process is going – especially if your organization is new to using e-signatures or your customers are using them for the first time. They will appreciate it if you take the time to talk to them about the technology, walk them through the process and find out what they think.

Get integrated.

An important part of customer retention is brand recognition and trust. Integrating e-signatures into your software allows your customers to use them within a program they are already familiar with. 

Plus, when you integrate an e-signature API into your software, you have the ability to custom-tweak the technology to meet your customers’ specific needs. Perhaps you need mandatory PDF fields, a specific type of authentication or a precise document workflow—integration lets that happen. Nothing says “personal touch” like designing technology around the needs of your customers. 

Don’t let perpetual screen-gazers lead you to believe otherwise. Strong social relationships and technology can go hand-in-hand. And, when they do, your business will be the better for it.

As for the technology itself, will yours stand the test of time? Download our free white paper to see if your e-signature technology will be obsolete in 10 years—click here!