Want to understand the bottom line value of electronic signature and electronic contract execution (ECE)? Are you responsible for the business analysis and implementation of an enterprise class rollout of ECE processes and system?
Business Analysis of ECE Implementation, published regularly during June, will address these questions. This series is brought to you by Mike Borozdin, Manager of DocuSign Professional Services.

Business Analysis of ECE Implementation, Part 1: Introduction to ECE & DocuSign Terminology

How can you improve many aspects of your business processes and finances? Implementing Electronic Contract Execution (ECE) can help you realize gains in business processes and positively affect your bottom line.
Electronic Signature and Electronic Contract Execution will:

  • Save time,
  • Reduce costs,
  • Improve the quality and accuracy of data collected on contracts,
  • Shorten contract signing cycles,
  • Improve close rates, and
  • Increase revenues.

Signers in the electronic contract execution process report greater satisfaction with the new process, influencing increased customer satisfaction rates.
ECE also is on strategy for environmental or green initiatives by reducing paper consumption and fuel consumption. This ultimately results in a smaller carbon footprint by your company.

Choosing the right tools
The DocuSign service offers flexibility in how you gather data and signatures. Finding the right fit affects the project implementation and cost. We advise you to envision the final solution and map out your desired data flow prior to estimating the project cost.

DocuSign terminology
We use the following terms when speaking specifically to DocuSign’s electronic signature and online contract execution offerings:

Envelope
A collection of documents, signer(s) information, and signing instructions are packaged together in an envelope. This may have any number of signatures placed on any number of documents and may include as many signers as needed. Upon submission to DocuSign, an Envelope ID, displayed in the upper left corner of each page in every document in that envelope, identifies the envelope.

Signer
A full name and e-mail address uniquely identifies a signer. A signer has a user record in DocuSign and can be invited to place signatures on an envelope.

Sender
A sender is a user of the DocuSign service and may sign as well as send documents.  Some sending accounts are created for Web Service access enabling these senders to send documents from other systems via DocuSign.

Account
An account maps to an organization, which can be either a company or a department, depending on company size. Senders belong to an account and are referred to as members of that account. In the DocuSign system, the account gets billed for transactions.

Tab
A tab is a visual indicator on a document for a piece of data: a date, initials or a signature. The most common tab is a signature tab. Other available tabs include: initials tab, full name tab, date tab, text box, checkbox, radio buttons, drop down lists and several others. Generally, tabs as data added to the document by signers as a result of completing the ECE process.
Tabs may be placed manually (ie the sender drags and drops the tabs onto documents) or in an automated fashion via the Web Service interface. Some types of tabs can be used to collect data and/or be configured to restrict data entered to conform to a specific format such as for dates and credit cards.

Certified Delivery
Certified delivery allows you to send a document to a recipient for review purposes only. The DocuSign service records that the certified delivery recipient has read the documents, similar to a “read receipt” in email.

Carbon Copy

Carbon copy allows you to send a document to a recipient for viewing after all parties have signed the document.

A common understanding of the benefits of electronic contract execution (ECE) and terms used to discuss the business implementation and desired solution(s) of the DocuSign service lays the groundwork for further analysis and discussion.

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