Six Steps To Scale-Up Your Independent E-Signature™ Program

E-signature technology is disruptive by nature, so for many companies and organizations, delving into e-signatures processes takes an adjustment period marked by a small, controllable implementation, as opposed to rapid, wide-scale adoption. It’s important to test the waters and become acclimated with digital signature workflows. (A great example of this approach is outlined in this article in American City & County.)

Once you’ve dipped your toe in the water, it’s time to take the plunge. As you phase out more paper and wet ink processes, you can expect to save more time and money with e-signatures – maximizing your ROI.

To effectively ramp up an e-signature program seamlessly across an organization, follow these six steps:

1. Evaluate your pilot program. After a few weeks of using Independent E-Signatures™ diligently, take some time to reflect on the pilot’s success. Monitor customer feedback and talk to employees who use the technology to get a pulse on the user experience.

For quantifiable support, pull data surrounding e-signatures. Explore how many people are using them, compare current and former expenses related to paper documents and look to see if it’s driving any business. For instance, Access Community Credit Union increased the number of loans closed online each month by 97 percent using Independent E-Signatures™. With facts in hand, you can decide if it’s time to expand your usage.

2. Look for your strategic next step. Whether you’re ready for a full-fledged signing experience for all parts of your company or you want to expand more methodically, think about where e-signatures can take their next logical step.

If only one type of document transaction has been piloted, consider adding another, more laborious workflow to the queue. If you’re ready to test a comprehensive paperless transaction system, try implementing e-signatures throughout an entire department, such as finance or HR.

3. Develop an e-signature policy. When moving from one e-signature process to multiple e-signature processes, consistency is key for smooth adoption. Draft a policy that outlines what documents are required to be signed online, the identity authentication measures that are necessary and any other relevant protocols to keep the guesswork off the table.

4. Choose an advocate. By designating someone within your company as your point-of-contact for all things e-signature related, you will establish an important channel for communication and support. This person will be the company’s source of information regarding e-signature product features and updates, questions and direct communication with your e-signature provider.

5. Train users. As e-signatures become mainstream within a company, training employees to be comfortable with the technology will encourage successful adoption. Provide time for users to take instruction demos and keep the communication lines to the e-signature advocate open.

6. Use it, don’t lose it. If you aren’t using e-signatures regularly, you’re less likely to think innovatively about how to take e-signatures to the next level. To reap the benefits of growing your Independent E-Signature™ program, keep it moving. Your expanding e-signature program will soon become a well-oiled machine, generating significant cost-savings and improving flexibility for transactions.

Want to learn more about why scaling up e-signatures could be right for you? Download this ROI worksheet to find out how much money you could save with Independent E-Signatures™.