Going Paperless is easy - Or is it?

Thank for the post. I bought a tablet a couple of years ago with the intention of going paperless but I could never fully implement the solution. I am going to give Docusign a try!

Thanks for your blog, Suzanne.  I have embrased blogging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. but have been reluctant to embrase DocuSign.  You've convinced me to give it a try!

DeeDee Riley

Does your product work with an in house product that RE/MAX 100 uses called Contrac Express? Does this have a list of action items to check off? How long do you hold the case on file? Can you store old contracts and how long? Size limit?

Suzanne, I signed up with DocuSign a couple of weeks ago, due to reading your blogs about the service.  So far, it is working smoothly and I am very happy with the service.  Great product.

My clients have enjoyed docusign. Sometimes they are worried at first and then find it easier then running to a fax machine. I need to learn more about going paperless and excited to take some classes on it in the near future in Arizona.

Suzanne, Does this product work in Maryland yet? I don't think we can do it here yet or I would have seen this concept. Sounds neat!

I've been happily using Docusign for ~4 years.  It's absolutely fantastic & economical.  Docusign allows me to be so much more efficient with my time as well as allowing clients to sign documents at their convenience.  It is a fantastic tool not just in quickly getting time sensitive docs signed but in getting disclosures signed (in particular hefty 300+ page condo disclosures).  

I either meet with clients in person and we talk through the docs or more typically, it'll be a phone conference as we go through docs.  I bring this up since there are some naysayers who feel clients don’t know what they’re signing; well that can happen even with wet sigs; that’s where a Realtor comes in to explain docs, process, etc.

Paired with Winforms online, I run a 99% paperless transaction (the exception is the TDS which I do have clients fill out by hand).  As a result of not having to print, scan or fax, my docs are legible!!  What a concept!  That detail does diminish when working with another agent who is not on Docusign. 

For any agents who are thinking about giving Docusign a try, this is a friendly plea to try it out.  Your clients and the agent you’re working with on the other side will love you for it!

The only time that Docusign could be problematic is if you have a client who does not have an email account.  

For the record, I made the switch to a Mac laptop after being a heavy Windows user and no problems with either Docusign or Winforms!  Working with a Mac in a Windows dominated world is possible.

Suzanne, keep up the great work!

Once the documents are set up, it is easy.

Getting the company COMMITTED to keeping up with changes is difficult.

I recently LEFT a company that had some of their docs paperless and some not.... simply because no one would go in and set up the documents correctly.

I actually started looking into DocuSign a couple weeks ago and I'll most likely sign up.  Even if I can't use it with every client, I can use it with most.  If it works as claimed, it will save me a ton of time.

I specialize in short sales, and many of my seller clients are going through divorce (not living together), relocated out of the area, or otherwise difficult to pin down.  Passing paperwork around by email or fax often times results in someone missing a signature or initial somewhere, which delays the whole process.

Also, with short sales, it's not uncommon to go through two or three buyers or to accept one or more back-up offers.  Going through the signing process so many times can wear out a seller.  I think DocuSign could help simplify this process and keep the sellers motivated.  If the lender ends up needing a hand-signed copy, I suppose it's not that big of a deal to go back and get signatures for a deal that's actually expected to close.

As for legibility, I've received illegible documents by fax many times.  I would think an e-signature would hold up in court better than a contract that you can't even read.

In this high-tech age, more and more people prefer to do the majority of their communications by email or over the phone.  It may be good customer service to meet your clients in person to walk them through paperwork, but many clients would rather have their agent walk them through the paperwork over the phone while in their pajamas without feeling like they have to make themselves or their surroundings "presentable".  It really depends on the particular client.

Jeff (#24) - Maybe you can cut and paste your comment into a letter and send it to the legal departments of banks that don't accept e-signatures.  It's pretty convincing.

Chad (#19) and Peter (#22) - I'm amazed that you still run into agents that don't use email.  How do they survive?  Do they still use printed MLS books too?

I think e-signatures are the wave of the future.  It's just a matter of time before the rest of the lenders and government agencies catch on.

DocuSign saves so much time in those pesky multiple counter offers that just need a quick initial.  I was reluctant at first but have full embraced it.  Occasionally I have a client who is uncomfortable with it and that's okay.  I can be old school and drive to their house, no problem!  Thanks for the post.  I hope it gets more agents using it!

A paperless society sounds good. On paper. :-)

I love DocuSign it has changed my life, however I run across agents all the time that are completely perplexed by the concept of electronic transactions. Hopefully some day everyone will use this technology.

Suzanne: I have to try this program. I am now 50% free of paper..have to work on the other 50%..thanks for the great post. 

after my blackberry crashed today with all my contacts my contracts and my phone numbers I get really nervous about paperless. Plus I agree when it comes to documentation for government and proof if needed for litigation paper is the only thing they will accept. Lets send this one to the government and see if they sign up. along with our "holiday tree" at the white house!

If you're concerned about going paperless and having everything stored digitally, consider that you could lose paper copies to fire or flood.  However, it's fairly easy to get digital information off-site securely.  I haven't had an unrecoverable data loss since 1989, even though I've had my share of hardware and software problems over the years.  My Blackberry gets backed up every week, and my desktop and laptop computers get backed up daily--both on-site and off-site.  I believe storing important contracts, documents, etc. digitally is actually safer, since it's easier to have multiple copies stored in multiple locations.

In the end nothing beats working smart, if you also have the means to do so, I don't see anything wrong with providing a better service to your clients by implementing new technology.