Recent studies indicate that a good salesperson nowadays spends one third of their time actually selling while more time is spent on administrative tasks surrounding sales like updating the crm, logging calls, searching for leads, and other time-intensive processes.

Fortunately, there has been an increased investment by companies in sales technology and automation. From the old fashioned cold calling and door-to-door selling to newfangled email marketing and implementing CRM for sales automation and integration such as signature tools and software are now at work. This decreases time spent on tedious administrative tasks and shifts the focus to the closing of deals, through technology.

What is E-signature?

E-signature is a digital form of a traditional wet ink signature. E-signature tools allow seamless signing transaction providing the full user authentication. In fact, e-signature is even more secure and tamper-proof than a regular pen signatures. It’s also cost-effective and efficient as it reduces the amount of friction, time, and oversight associated with transactions.

Pricing and Integrations Matrix

Why Use E-signature Tools for Sales?

Close Deals Faster

Getting your paper-based documents signed can be a long and tedious process. Salespeople need to wait for weeks or even months just to obtain signatures from multiple parties which sometimes can delay the closing of deals or worse, lose the deal completely. Using e-signature tools and software allow you to automate the signing process from multiple people or organization by removing unnecessary steps thereby cutting the time and let you grow your revenue faster.

Enhanced Security

Using e-signature tools is far more secure than their handwritten counterparts inked with paper-based documents. E-signature is like a three-dimensional thumbprint that carries layers of information about the signer, when, where and how did the signing happen– creating a digital data trail that lets you review and verify the document involved.

Boost customer/client experience

Using traditional methods when obtaining signature from clients or customer can be a tiresome experience for both salespeople and the clients or customers. This may lead to negative client or customer experience and may cost you valuable prospects in the long run. By making this process automated and digital, you create a smooth-sailing experience that may result in improved customer experience, increased closing transactions speed, and cost-efficiency.

Reduce cost

Going digital and using e-signature tools for sales transactions lets you eliminate miscellaneous costs such as paper, ink, shipping and mailing charges and other extraneous costs not to mention the time required to scan, fax and manage all of the documents reps interact with daily.

Digitizing sales process

Digitizing sales related documents saves you time from finding the documents that might be buried along with the other hundred documents around your office. E-signature tools also improve visibility as it enables you to track a given document’s progress; notifying you when the documents are received and signed.

Are electronic signature tools safe/legal in sales?

100% yes.

Electronic signatures are legalized and recognized through Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) and the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN). Both federal and state laws recognized electronic signatures as a counterpart of the traditional “wet ink” signatures. In fact, the supreme court of Canada switched to an e-signature provider back in 2004.

The new electronic filing system allows the Supreme Court to accept digitally signed court filing documents from attorneys. The process of adding signature to the electronic document being filed is controlled by the Supreme Court’s e-filing application.

How do I decide which e-signature provider is right for me?

Reviewing all of the e-signature providers available isn’t complex and requires a huge investment of time to make the perfect choice. We recommend keeping these five points in mind when deciding on a provider:

Integrations

If you’re evaluating an e-signature provider you’re also likely using a CRM like Salesforce, Hubspot, etc. The last thing you want to do is to pick a provider that doesn’t have a direct integration into your CRM and other systems of choice. The impact of a tool that doesn’t integrate directly can be as high as not having an e-signature provider at all. Documents will need to be stored in multiple places, reps will be confused about what to do post-signature and accounting will end up avoiding your CRM altogether which defeats the purpose of e-signature.

Adoption

Your customers are busy and need to be taken into consideration as well. It’s important to make the process of signing as simple as possible for your customers and tools they’re already familiar with should be the default. Customers will want to store signed documents as well and using the tools they already use and know will make it much easier for them. The last thing you want is to send a document over via e-signature and have a confused customer print, sign and email that document back.

Cost

E-signature is a very competitive space with both new and established providers. The cost of e-signature can start to creep quickly when you’re spending $10-25 per sales rep per month just to have documents signed.

Flexibility

Many companies want to be able to do more than just send documents for signature. You may want to tie this process into a self-service workflow, have dynamic templates or put approval and routing processes into place. It’s critical to understand what you’ll want to do beyond just obtaining a signature and review for those requirements.

Mobile Support

If you’ve got field sales reps you’ll want them to have the ability to send and sign documents on the road, this means selecting an app that offers mobile support that is easy to use for the time-strapped field rep.

How difficult is it to integrate an e-signature provider with my CRM?

We reached out to our partners at Kicksaw who do Salesforce consulting to get a sense of how difficult this task is:

The most common integration we see is between Salesforce and DocuSign. This integration typically takes less than an hour to install the package, assign user licenses and get up and running. If there is no direct integration you’ll need an application like Zapier or Mulesoft to get that done which can take a significant amount of time and proprietary CRMs may not be able to be integrated without building a custom application or tying into the API of a provider directly.

How difficult is it to switch e-signature providers?

E-signature providers don’t make it simple to migrate from one system to another because they have to stand by and support the existing signatures from a legal standpoint. If you were to move from one e-signature provider to another it’s unlikely you’ll be able to transfer all of those documents easily. This creates quite a bit of vendor lock-in because once you’ve obtained your first signatures from customers you’ll likely want to stay on that vendor so you’re not searching for documents in multiple places.

E-signature Providers

1. SignEasy

SignEasy offers the simplest and fastest way to sign documents or send documents for signature from you smartphone, tablet or desktop browser. It lets you sign a contract yourself, get a contract signed by partners/clients in-person, and send a sales order for signature to a customer using remote signing.

SignEasy allows sales professionals to get their documents signed across different stages of the quote-to-close cycle and beyond such as sales orders, invoices, customer agreements, proposals and bids, quotes, sales contracts/renewals, licensing agreements, loaner asset tracking, purchase orders, leases, and a lot more.

Platforms:

• iOS
• Android
• Windows
• Mac
• Web-based

Pros:

• Allows self-signing, in-person signing, and remote signing
• Has a sequential and parallel signing feature which allows users to send documents to multiple people for signature in a parallel sequence
• Can track the progress of a document
• Can send reminders to signers through e-mail or push notification
• Notifies you through e-mail or push notification when the signers completed the document
• Allows you to import and export documents from email and other apps
• ESIGN Act & eIDAS compliant
• Has extra protection with passcode and fingerprint authentication
• Documents are sent and stored using SSL encryption
• Has an audit trail for legal evidence including signer email address, device IP, document fingerprint and timestamp
• Can sign or collect signatures even if you’re offline

Cons:

• No multiple delete option for documents
• More expensive than competitors
• Needs to change font size every time
• No auto-save feature

2. GetAccept

GetAccept is a cloud-based electronic signature solution that allows salespeople to deal with smart and automated e-signing of important contracts, agreements, sales quotes, proposals, and other important documents with a single click.

It also has a built-in video messaging feature that allows users to create personal video presentation with the document to make it stand out. Users can also engage in a real-time live chat with prospects.

Platforms:

iOS, Android, Windows and Mac, Web-based

Pros:

• Enables users to track sales document through pipeline
• Has a built-in video introduction within the proposal
• Allows users to track documents using smart document tracking
• Can send and receive messages directly within the document
• Integrated with major sales and marketing automation and CRM systems
• Notifies you through push notifications
• Sends reminders and initiates external marketing automations workflow
• ESIGN Act & eIDAS Compliant
• Produces document analytics report
• Documents are sent and stored using SSL encryption
• Has a multiple authentication models to make sure that signer is identifiable

Cons:

• No option to duplicate documents
• Doesn’t allow users to edit the document after upload
• Signers can’t sign if their initials are not perfectly matched
• Limited features on mobile
  

3. PandaDoc

PandaDoc is a comprehensive solution for the management of contracts and documents, collaboration solution for professionals, all with a built-in eSignature feature. With its collaboration feature, various teams can collaborate on a single document by commenting and in-activity logging. The built-in e-signature feature allows signers to approve and sign documents from anywhere anytime.

This e-signature tool can work well with quotes, contracts, agreements, and other sales collateral. PandaDos boast their high level analytics feature which allows you to track where your documents are and lets you know what happens to your document when you send or email it to your recipient. It also gives you real-time analytics every time your recipient opens and completes your documents.

Platforms:

Android, iOS, Windows and Mac, Web-based

Pros:

• ESIGN and UETA compliant
• Options to change the language and currency
• Has auto reminders feature
• Allows in-document commenting
• Enables users to personalize proposals (adding videos, testimonials, etc.)
• Offers high-level document analytics
• Has CPQ Functionality
• Has offline access

Cons:

• Does not allow for multiple users to work in a document at the same time
• Cannot duplicate document and content
• Does not work well with non-PDF uploads
• Inability to track file versions

4. Adobe Sign

Adobe Sign is an e-signature solution designed for companies and businesses who are managing sales contracts, credit applications, purchase orders, or legal documents.

The Adobe Sign e-signature solution is a part of Adobe Document Cloud suite which aims to speed up business transactions and processes by allowing users to easily share online forms, digital documents, and applications, and collect legal electronic and digital signatures from anywhere, anytime.

Platforms:

Android, ios, web application for Windows and Mac, Linux

Pros:

• Integrated into productivity apps
• Integrated into Enterprise apps
• Can be integrated in custom apps using API
• Automatic archiving
• Enabled Alerts and Reminders
• Automatic Audit trails
• Error-proof workflows using workflow templates
• Self-serve forms
• Document templates
• Online payments
• Government ID authentication
• Delegation of signature if authorized signer is out of office

Cons:

• Does not allow edits without starting from scratch
• Dashboard is not user-friendly
• Some e-mails would get caught in spam filters
• Cannot duplicate document and content

5. SignRequest

SignRequest is a cloud-based electronic signature solution that equips clients with efficient signing of online documents. Users of SignRequest can edit documents, create templates, receive document status overviews and notifications, and integrate with other services like Google Docs, Gmail, Salesforce, among others.

This e-signature tool allows the upload of documents and signing of multiple people. It boasts of its flexibility and accessibility as it caters to different document formats like MS Word and PDF, and is easily accessible to mobile or desktop devices.

Platforms:

Android, iPhone/iPad, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web-based

Pros:

• ESIGN and UETA compliant
• Supports and automatically detects multiple languages
• Creates, stores and sends out an unlimited number of templates to various recipients
• Allows for multi-party signing, sequential signing, and user-defined signing order
• Efficient document management and storage
• Provides text message
• Offers bank payment verification
• Services include audit trail, automatic and manual reminders, and email notifications
• Offers customizable templates
• Available free-use option

Cons:

• Clunky UI when filling in documents that require long-form response
• Does not support phone and live chat for the free version
• Offline signing not available

6. Zoho Sign

Zoho Sign is a digital signature app designed to facilitate a faster and more efficient signing process and can verify legally binding documents from any location and on any device. It boasts of its high-level security that ensures the privacy and confidentiality of documents. Audit trails, access codes, and multi-factor verification are all utilized to safeguard documents.

Zoho Sign is both accessible and flexible as it allows for various file types and may be easily used through popular web browsers. In order to sign documents for Zoho Sign, one also does not need a Zoho account but only a unique link provided by the program.

Platforms:

Android, iPhone, Mac, Windows, Linux, Web-based

Pros:

• Offers customizable document signing
• Offers custom branding
• Can streamline signing workflows
• Allows multiple signing parties
• Easy tracking of documents
• Has high-level security
• Allows import documents from third party applications
• Supports multiple languages
• Has phone and email support in free version

Cons:

• Inability to send a link to the document in an email
• No reusable template
• Fewer integrations available compared to other apps

7. SignNow

SignNow has garnered numerous awards for its simple and mobile-friendly software. It is primarily designed to provide quality service designed for optimal user interaction. It aims to be as simple as possible, allowing for documents to be signed electronically online in as little time as possible.

This e-signature software attempts to simplify workflow and automates paperwork processes. With this, SignNow provides users with a vast collection of templates in different field like sales and marketing.

Platforms:

iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Web-based

Pros:

• Signatures can be drawn, typed, or uploaded
• Offers custom branding
• Has document expiration dates
• Offers full customization and robust integration
• Access to encryption and security features safeguarding documents
• Provides a vast collection of business templates
• Supports collaboration and offers audit trail capability
• Compatible with all major platforms

Cons:

• Documents imported from Word rarely maintain their format
• Does not allow selecting multiple documents at once
• Does not let you edit once it’s saved
• Signers need to set-up an account before you they can sign

8. DocuSign

DocuSign helps in organizing and storing documents and other materials by significantly reducing the amount of actual paperwork and clutter. The system automates entire workflows and lets you conduct business securely from any location.

DocuSign also places a strong emphasis on security, both for the storage of data and the eSignature process and has many high-level security certifications in both Europe and the US. The platform uses high level security and adheres to tight data protection protocols, ensuring that all information processed within the system are safe.

Platforms:

iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Web-based

Pros:

• Allows multi-party signing
• Has task progress tracking
• Offers personalized branding
• Ability to collect payments
• Offers audit trail and authentication procedures
• Has workflow management
• Provides document analytics and allows for customizable templates
• Allows for collaboration and markup

Cons:

• Does not allow signature tracking in bulk
• Template functionality is not intuitive
• No version control available
• Limited built-in forms

9. RightSignature

RightSignature is Citrix’s contribution to the eSignature space. The biggest benefit of using RightSignature is the speed in which documents can be sent to clients. RightSignature’s apps and desktop solutions enable users to upload, format, and send documents in only a few clicks. Signers are also guided on how to sign and how they can do it using their phones.

Platforms:

Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Web-based

Pros:

• Options for efficient sending – via email or secured link
• Custom branding available
• Compatible with any device without requiring plugins or downloads
• Offers multi-party signing, team-wide collaboration, and multi-document sending
• Provides bank-level data security and legally-binding esignatures
• Can collect payments
• Uses Password-protected login, SHA-2 Digital Fingerprints, biometric data capture

Cons:

• Does not offer customized branding
• Does not allow edits without recreating the document
• Presence of reports on difficulty of signing in to program when using IOS devices

10. eSign Genie

eSign Genie provides a powerful platform for businesses that enables users to efficiently create documents, produce reusable templates, and collect signatures from individuals or multi-parties. eSign Genie prides itself as the best bulk e-signature platform. Users can send contracts, waivers, NDAs and other common forms quickly and securely via URL, embedded on a site, or integrated to their application with eSign Genie’s APIs.

Platforms:

Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Web-based

Pros:

• Option to save and send e-signature online link for user’s convenience
• Has multi-factor authentication options
• Offers custom branding
• Integrates e-signature to any website for automation
• Offers mobile signature and multi-party signing
• Allows for audit trail and authentication
• Tracks task progress and sends auto reminders
• Offers customizable templates and document analytics

Cons:

• Outdated UI
• Slower site speed
• Does not send automatic reminders
• Systems sometimes crash when you’re deleting a document