This past week, Signeasy hit the airwaves with 9to5Mac's "Apple @ Work" podcast to discuss how eSignatures for iOS have evolved over the last few months (our appearance was also featured in Tech Telegraph and Phone Mag!). CEO Sunil Patro virtually sat down with host Bradley Chambers, and jumped right into detailing the company's long-standing relationship with Apple.
Patro recalled that Signeasy – which blew out 10 candles just last month – was one of the very first eSignature apps on the App Store. "The reason we chose iPhone as our first platform was primarily because of the users," he said, referring to Apple's largely US-based and tech-savvy clientele. "And at the time, it was the best mobile platform available."
What’s an app launch without a few challenges?
When it comes to modern technology, a decade feels just as long as it sounds: when Signeasy debuted on the App Store, there was no easy way to transfer a Word file or PDF file from Apple’s native email app to the Signeasy app. So, for the user to be able to sign their document using the app, they had to import it, then set up a document preview, then draw a signature on the smartphone’s touch screen canvas.
At the time, Signeasy's biggest challenge was figuring out a way to transfer a document from any other app to our own app – a fundamental operation for an eSignature platform! But back then, as is still the case today, there was no challenge too big for Signeasy's skilled developers.
"The way we solved it was by creating a forwarding email address, like documents@," said Patro. When users logged into the app with their email ID, it would recognize the user and pull up the attachment they were trying to access. Ah, the good old days."
2020: A year like no other
For better or for worse, businesses across the globe – and especially in the SaaS space – have had a monumental year. Chambers was curious to know how Signeasy was riding the 2020 wave.
"Until 2020, we were growing at a very healthy rate: about 30% to 40% year over year," said Patro. "We had customers from 150 countries, and pretty much any industry you could think of : real estate, logistics and transportation, accounting and taxes, financial services and banking, human resources…”
But in the wake of COVID-19, the eSignature landscape has changed. Remote work requires touchless and contactless tools, and people are using personal devices for office work at unprecedented rates.
"Because of that, we are seeing non traditional industries (educational institutions, healthcare professionals) accelerating their digital journey faster than before."
Demand for eSignatures in the education space experienced a particularly sharp increase: while this industry is typically slower to adopt new technologies and rarely has extra cash to splash, Patro noticed that organizations in the K-12 and post-secondary space were leaning more heavily on eSignatures as their facilities shut their doors indefinitely.
“Think about all the scenarios where students need to sign for scholarships, grants, and aid letters,” he said. Indeed, education is jam-packed with ink: parents need to sign consent forms for their children, students need to fill out orientation sign-ups, consultations with school psychologists … everything that used to unfold on physical paper has now moved online."
Post-COVID fast facts
– 85% increase in terms of new user signups, specifically in the education space
– Nearly 300% increase in usage among education customers
– 47% increase in legal, taxes, and accounting industries
– Nearly 50% increase in usage among real estate customers
Signeasy and Apple: partners, co-innovators, teammates
The best partnerships are those that lead to symbiotic, side-by-side innovation. As Apple’s capabilities have evolved over time, Signeasy has continued to grow alongside the brand.
With the Apple Pencil, we’ve been able to smooth out the eSignature experience so people can get as close as possible to their authentic wet ink signature. Users are also able to secure their document vaults in the Signeasy app using FaceID and TouchID authentication – information that is automatically included in the legally binding audit trail that is attached to each document.
“We always work closely with Apple’s developers and designers as an Apple Mobility Partner,” said Patro. “We always give them feedback – which is taken seriously – and they’ve been very supportive of us producing a best-in-class mobile experience for iOS users.”
What’s next for Signeasy X Apple?
The Signeasy team is counting the days until iOS14 hits the market, which will unleash yet another wave of opportunities to evolve the eSigning experience for iPhone and iPad.
Take app clips, for example: if someone sends a public link to a document, like an NDA or consent form, app clips will enable the recipient to access a “light” version of the Signeasy app instead of having to download the entire thing. With widgets, power users will be able to quickly glance at their pending documents, send reminders to lagging signers, or conduct one-tap signature requests for frequently used documents.
If you’re just as Apple-obsessed as we are but haven’t yet given Signeasy a try, check out our iOS app on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
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