Choosing an eSignature solution for your sales team

It's 2021, and the world has moved online. Gone are the days of legacy sales processes and drawn-out sales cycles. According to a McKinsey report, COVID-19

Rachit Arora

July 28, 2021

2021-07-28

•

min read

Choosing an eSignature solution for your sales team

It's 2021, and the world has moved online. Gone are the days of legacy sales processes and drawn-out sales cycles. According to a McKinsey report, COVID-19 has accelerated the rate of remote selling: more B2B decision-makers are remotely closing bigger and bigger deals, and they’re doing so faster than ever. It is estimated that COVID-19 has shortened the B2B sales cycle by up to 40%.

Sign-off is a brief but critical point in the sales process. This step indicates that a deal has successfully been closed, and greenlights the handoff from the sales team to their colleagues in onboarding/services. However, as simple as that may sound, sales teams lose tons of time and productivity when they have to create, sign, send, and wait on approval for deal-sealing documents.

Sales leaders and business owners have been adopting eSignatures to address this bottleneck in their sales process. Electronic Signatures provide a modern way for accelerating document turnarounds and remote deal management, giving companies a way to create legally binding approvals while reducing human error.

Here are 6 questions you should ask if you’re looking to implement eSignatures for your sales team:

How can an eSignature tool improve my sales workflow?

Modern eSign solutions provide a range of tools that can help sales teams manage their deal flow. Document tracking is one such feature. The ability to know – at a glance – whether a document has been viewed, forwarded, or ‘shopped around’ is incredibly valuable if you are selling a common product or service.

Complete the following 3 steps to quickly answer this question:

✓ Create a list of all the issues and bottlenecks in your sales workflow that you think the eSign solution should address.

✓ Map these issues to specific features. For example, your problem might be a lack of visibility after a document is sent out for signature. The corresponding feature would be an automatic alert when the document is viewed, opened, or has been pending for a specific amount of time.

✓ Make a list of indicators that you would track before and after the implementation of the solution. The KPIs ensure alignment with business objectives.

How well does the solution integrate with the rest of my sales stack?

Modern business software stacks require a high degree of interconnectivity backed by real-time data synchronization. It is essential that you assess your eSign tool’s interoperability and compatibility with other commonly used tools.

Here’s a quick checklist:

✓ Does the solution integrate directly with your document creation and storage workflow, like GSuite, Dropbox, etc.?

✓ Are there other tools that are part of your sales workflow? CRM, finance, billing, subscription, PSA, bookings, etc.

✓ Do I need a premium plan to be able to access these integrations?

Does the eSign tool support multiple device types and document types?

Your eSign tool should be able to accept all major document types, from Word and PDF to Pages and spreadsheets. It should also be built for mobile and desktop, whether you’re a logistics company collecting signatures in-person or looking to embed eSignatures into your bespoke application or website.

Are the eSignatures verifiable, legal, and secure?

An airtight eSign platform can be a huge asset when it comes to compliance and auditing. Ensure the eSign tool has various certifications, as well as social proof (i.e. reviews) to indicate a high level of trust. It’s always better to bet on a tool with a high user trust score.

Does the platform offer any additional benefits? Are there cool features or use-cases I might not be aware of?

Most eSignature solutions cater to thousands of customers. As their product evolves, they create unique tools within the platform that might not be obvious right out of the box. Take full advantage of their documentation and onboarding tools and explore the platform.

In case I need some help with the platform, how good is the support and documentation?

There are 5 main things to look out for here:

✓ Is there a “getting started” guide or tutorial videos?

✓ Does the platform offer a guided demo or personal onboarding session?

✓ How detailed is the documentation?

✓ Will you be using their API? How is their developer documentation?

✓ Is there a user community or forum you can engage with?

Answering these questions and checking the various boxes along the way should help you choose the right eSignature solution for your sales team and avoid the pitfalls and hurdles that might lead uninformed buyers astray.

Signeasy is a leading eSignature platform that’s packed with features but without the overwhelming clutter. We are an SMB-facing solution with a high-performance mobile app – as well as a fully minted desktop platform – that lets you take your deal flow on the go. No matter the document type or device, our compatibility is unmatched, alongside a host of integrations with major productivity platforms.

Start your 14-day free trial today and discover why Signeasy consistently receives top marks for customer service, ease of use, and mobile responsiveness!

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Rachit Arora

Rachit is the Product Marketing Specialist at Signeasy. He excels in fast-paced, high-growth environments, showcasing a self-motivated and creative approach. Rachit's enthusiasm for using data analytics, digital storytelling, and design thinking is evident in his success in boosting engagement and conversions.