Mike Borozdin, manager of developer programs, will help you get started with the DocuSign API! Register for the upcoming Developer Workshop Webinars, to jumpstart your electronic signature integration:

• Thu, September 9 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (PT)
• Thu, September 23 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (PT)

Already familiar with DocuSign’s API? Register for the advanced webinar to learn to use DocuSign’s API from the Salesforce Platform:

• Wed, September 15: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (PT)

Before a webinar, you can register for the DocuSign free development account for access to the DocuSign Connect API 3.0 Developer Guide, Web Service Description file (WSDL) and samples in Java, .NET, Ruby and PHP.  You can set up samples on your servers, develop code and test drive our Web Service API.

Our Developers Center also provides a myriad of resources, including our DocuSign Forum, documentation, live samples and other tools. We also have code walkthroughs available on this blog as well:

• Create And Send Electronic Signature Envelope
• Anchor Tabs
• Retrieving Documents From DocuSign
• Embedded Signing
• The RequestStatus Methods

Simplified DocuSign API

With our Summer ‘10 Release, developing new applications or integrations to work with the DocuSign Platform has become even easier. A simplified HTTP header can now be implemented as an option to the SOAP header. Register for a webinar to learn more!

Cool Gadgets: Apple iPad, iPhone 4, Droid 2

While Apple’s iPad came out in the spring, the iPad continued the buzz this summer! With Designed for Mobile, you can use electronic signature from DocuSign on Blackberry, iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Mobile phones.

However, the iPad’s size and utility means that you can create envelopes on the iPad with templates enabled, or send for electronic signature with Freeform signing. Take a look at this blog post if you want to use DocuSign on your iPad!

A Feature Friday blog post also highlighted another way you can use DocuSign if you get an email attachment that needs electronic signatures, with Email to Electronic Signature. Of course, you can also use this feature on your desktop or laptop as well as your iPad!

Ensuring Your Electronic Signature Stands Up in Court

Ken Moyle, DocuSign’s Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, shared thoughts regarding issues your should consider so that your electronic signature will stand up in court.

When you do business electronically, you should anticipate the need to produce evidence that proves a given person signed a given electronic document on a given date. That means you should look at taking such steps as:

For the rest of Ken’s commentary, take a look at the blog post which also shares authentication and electronic signature process considerations to note when selecting a vendor.

Our real estate team is also excited to make a special offer to new subscribers – between now and Labor Day, get a $20 Visa® gift card when you sign up for a DocuSign prepaid annual plan! Members of NAR should sign up with their NRDS numbers to take advantage of their special pricing.

Enjoy the last days of summer!

We’re excited to announce the release of eDottedLine, a new DocuSign partner software application add-in from @Ware, Inc. that seamlessly extends DocuSign’s functionality within Microsoft® Outlook. eDottedLine integrates the DocuSign electronic signature service within Microsoft Outlook for a complete email document signing solution that complements any green initiative. This electronic signature application is available now and can be downloaded from @Ware.

Matthew J. Schiltz, vice president of strategic business development and alliances at DocuSign, provides his persective:

The release of @Ware’s eDottedLine further extends the capabilities of the DocuSign electronic signature platform within the Microsoft Office environment. This unique application makes it faster and easier to get documents signed online, further streamlining workflows and increasing efficiencies. DocuSign is partnering with more and more innovators like @Ware to develop and offer innovative applications that make it possible for organizations across all industries to operate more efficiently within the Windows eco-system.

@Ware eDottedLine At-a-Glance

eDottedLine, a software add-in that extends DocuSign’s electronic signature technology to Microsoft Outlook, increases productivity by bringing the convenience of DocuSign’s electronic signature process into Outlook. DocuSign’s collaborative model is integrated into this workflow, creating an intuitive and precise end-to-end experience. With eDottedLine, the electronic signature experience leverages key Outlook functionality and content:

• An easy-to-follow wizard guides the user through one of three possible DocuSign electronic signature processes: free form signing, browser-based tagging and full template support. All predefined template settings are back-filled into the Outlook e-mail message to create a complete record of each electronic signature transaction.
• Transaction receipts are created as Outlook Tasks with due dates set to the expiration dates of the corresponding DocuSign envelopes.
• By synchronizing Outlook Tasks, the completion status of each envelope is updated. For each completed transaction, a final PDF document copy is downloaded and archived automatically as a task attachment. These task receipts provide a dashboard view of the user’s electronic signature transactions and allow the user to benefit from Outlook notifications.
• Outlook Contacts can be synchronized within the DocuSign Address Book with just a single mouse-click. Specific Outlook Contact folders and/or Contact items can be included or excluded giving the user complete control and flexibility. Outlook recipients are mapped to DocuSign users and Outlook’s rich address resolution is extended to the DocuSign transaction.

@Ware’s plug-and-play architecture allows electronic signature transactions to be recorded within other third-party Web services. A broadcasting agent allows the same documents to be sent to many recipients with just a single email message, which includes distribution list support.

James Harvey, president and chief executive officer of @Ware, comments:

DocuSign has ascended rapidly as the global gold standard for electronic signature technology. Outlook has been the gold standard for desktop communication for the past 16 years. The synergistic benefits of bringing these two technologies together are self-evident and compelling. We are excited to be partnering with DocuSign and bringing this unique time-saving add-in to Microsoft Outlook users.

Pricing and Availability of Electronic Signature in Outlook

Just click to get more information on @Ware eDottedLine DocuSign Edition.

With cool new mobile devices available, including iPhone 4 and Droid 2, I wanted to share how we can experience fast, complete and trusted electronic signature while we’re on the go!

Right after Apple released the iPad, Doug Rybacki, director of product management for DocuSign, confirmed that DocuSign subscribers can create DocuSign envelopes on the iPad and it works well for templates and sending for eSignature with Freeform signing.

Templates

Using Templates: Templates help streamline the sending process when you frequently send documents that are the same or similar. You can apply one or more templates to an uploaded document.
Uploading from a Template: To upload a document directly from an existing template, click the Add new document from a template link, select the template and click OK.

Working with Templates: To apply a template to a document, click the Apply a Template to this document link, select the template and click OK.
To apply another template to a document, click the Apply another Template to this document link, select the template, type the page of the document the new template will start on and click OK.
To remove a template from a document, click the Remove Template link. For more information about templates, check out this how-to blog post on creating a template in DocuSign electronic signature.

Freeform Signing

If the Freeform Signing feature is used, the signer sees the following items in the upper left corner of the documents window. The signer drags the appropriate item from the Click & Drag box to the appropriate place n the document. The signer clicks the Complete Signing button near the upper right corner of the screen to complete Freeform signing. For more on Freeform signing, take a look at this how-to blog post, How-To Use Free Form Signing From DocuSign.

Email to Electronic Signature

With the Spring ’10 release, you got another option for using DocuSign on iPad – with Email to Envelope, you can send in email attachments to start a draft envelope by emailing the attachment to drafts@docusign.net

1. Forward an existing email or create a new email. Fill out the Subject with the subject you want to use for the DocuSign envelope, add a message, and attach the document(s) to be signed. Send the email to DocuSign at: drafts@docusign.net.
2. DocuSign takes your email and creates a draft envelope with all the attachments added as the documents for the envelope, the email subject you sent becomes the envelope Subject, and message is added as the envelope message.
3. After creating the draft envelope, DocuSign sends an email to you with a link to the draft envelope.

DocuSign will send you an email with a link to your envelope, where you can then send the document for signature with Freeform signing after you log into your console!

Of course, I’ve also heard of other ways people are using DocuSign on the iPad – what are your favorite hacks to share?

We’re excited to announce that our electronic signature service is now available within Real Estate Industry Solutions’ Form Simplicity web-based real estate forms service! With the DocuSign integration, Form Simplicity now provides end-to-end online real estate forms to expedite real estate transactions while eliminating the need for paper processes.

Developed by Real Estate Industry Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Florida REALTORS® and the largest trade organization in Florida with more than 115,000 members, Form Simplicity offers real estate professionals the ability to quickly create and organize forms for residential or commercial transactions. DocuSign’s advanced electronic signature functionality provides Form Simplicity users the ability to accelerate the real estate document signing process online and ensure deals close faster, while leveraging complete visibility into the document workflow.

In a competitive market, minutes can literally make the difference when closing a deal. With Form Simplicity, real estate professionals can more quickly prepare documents for client electronic signature anytime from anywhere. With a simple click of the mouse, real estate professionals can access DocuSign from within Form Simplicity. It takes just minutes for the user to tag any document with DocuSign’s familiar yellow Stick-eTabs®. Once the document tagging process is completed, the client receives an email notification, is authenticated and is quickly navigated through the electronic signature process. By extending the integration of DocuSign within Form Simplicity, real estate agents can further simplify the real estate contract signing process, save hours of time each week, eliminate signing errors and accelerate deal close rates.

Joe Ballarino, president and chief operating officer of Real Estate Industry Solutions, shares:

“Form Simplicity maximizes agent productivity and now with the addition of DocuSign, the standard in electronic signature, we anticipate the adoption rate will continue to increase rapidly. Now Form Simplicity users will have unparalleled convenience and ease of use to quickly send forms to clients for electronic signature with DocuSign.

Form Simplicity users can now join more than 30,000 real estate professionals eliminating paper and expediting real estate transactions with DocuSign. Rather than driving across town to get a signature or forcing clients to find a fax machine, real estate professionals use DocuSign to execute agreements with buyers and sellers electronically. With real estate forms signed in minutes, not days, DocuSign real estate professionals achieve higher sales, increase client satisfaction and maintain a competitive edge. Safe and secure, the DocuSign electronic signature process is also easy to use and legally compliant.

Dave Thorpe, market director at DocuSign,

Real Estate Industry Solutions and DocuSign provides real estate professionals with state of the art technology to better manage workflows, and close real estate transactions faster and easier. Real estate professionals can now leverage the power of DocuSign electronic signature services directly from within Form Simplicity anytime, anywhere for a rich, complete and convenient end-to-end forms management process. This partnership is another example of DocuSign’s leadership as the standard in electronic signature solutions for real estate professionals.

Take a look for more information about DocuSign and Real Estate Industry Solutions!

We’re excited to publish a newsletter featuring Gartner research about the benefits of electronic signature technology in the insurance industry. We’ll share this research through an online newsletter and webinar.

One of Gartner’s key findings is that the use of electronic signatures is an essential element when creating a true straight-through process for application procedure. Gartner also recommends relying on an electronic signature solution that is “hardware-independent.”

Research Title: Best Practices for Global Life and P&C Insurers in Selecting Electronic Signature Solutions by Steven Leigh and Juergen Weiss

Read: DocuSign Electronic Signature for Insurance Newsletter Featuring Gartner Research

Watch: Register for a DocuSign electronic signature for insurance webinar on September 22 at 10 a.m. PT, hosted by Steve Woodworth, insurance and wealth management market director at DocuSign.

Learn: Learn how to increase placement ratios and reduce sales cycle with electronic signature technology, and why electronic signatures are becoming indispensable for life and property and casualty (P&C) insurers to support their electronic distribution and service channel strategies. In this research, Gartner summarizes key considerations for a request for proposal (RFP) that insurers should be aware of.

Other Features: View demos and download white papers and other collateral that discuss the legality of an electronic signature and how the DocuSign electronic signature service can complete a transaction in minutes.

You can drag signatures, initials and form fields to any location in the document to complete the signing.

Open the email sent to you from the DocuSign electronic signature service. Click the “Review” button to open your envelope.

Once you’ve opened your envelope, click the “I Agree” box for the consumer disclosure statement and the “I Adopt” box to adopt your electronic signature. Alternatively, you can modify your electronic signature prior to adopting it and clicking “continue”

Your document appears in the browser window. Your e-signature palette on the left – click to drag signatures, initials and form fields to any location in the document. In the example below, we selected and dragged the signature and date-signed form field to the document. You can reposition or remove any form field you have previously added before you complete your signing.

You can stay and review your document – click the “Complete Signing” button when you’re finished. The completed window appears and you can print or download a copy of your completed document and click “Done” to complete your free form signing experience!

Let’s take a look:

Want to use e-Sign on Your iPad?
Doug Rybacki, director of product management for DocuSign, confirmed that DocuSign subscribers can create DocuSign envelopes on the iPad and it works well for templates and sending for eSignature with Freeform signing. Stay tuned for more information about DocuSign’s upcoming DocuSign for iPad app and click the link above to learn how!

Of course, not everyone has an iPad or iPhone – we also offer the ability to use electronic signature on other mobile devices.

Want to use Electronic Signature on Your Mobile Device?
With “Designed for Mobile,” all DocuSign electronic signature service subscribers can access their DocuSign console from their iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, and Google Android devices, which earned us finalist status at the Stevie Awards.

FHA and Lender Acceptance of Electronic Signature
Earlier this spring, the FHA has issued a mortgagee letter, clarifying FHA acceptance of electronic signature. Ken Moyle’s blog post on this topic from 2009 continues to be popular, especially with answers to situations around lender acceptance, such as:

My mortgage broker says the lender won’t accept electronic signatures

A few lenders have some policies in place that restrict electronically signed documents, but not all documents in a mortgage application file are the same. There is a difference between a mortgage closing document (such as an electronic note) and a supporting document (such as a real estate contract, addendum or disclosure). Supporting documents represent contracts between consenting parties that have already been consummated and are not part of the closing process. It is unusual for a lender to interfere with a real estate transaction by asking for it to be re-executed. Ask the broker or lender to clarify their position and to make sure they have all the information they need to make that assertion.

If you are unable to get your lender to accept a DocuSigned contract as part of a mortgage application, please immediately send the lender name and contact info to legal@docusign.com.

Ensuring Your Electronic Signature Stands up in Court
Ken Moyle, DocuSign’s Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer, has also shared his thoughts regarding issues your should consider so that your electronic signature will stand up in court.

When you do business electronically, you should anticipate the need to produce evidence that proves a given person signed a given electronic document on a given date. That means you should look at taking such steps as:

• Including authentication procedures to verify the identity of the signatory
• Maintaining evidence of the particular electronic document that was signed electronically
• Maintaining evidence of the electronic process that was followed in obtaining the electronic signature on the electronic document

For more information on any of these topics, click the links to read the complete posts. You can also sign up for a free electronic signature trial!

How many of us get email attachments asking us for signature? Why print, sign and fax if you can just forward the email with…

Email to Electronic Signature

Just by forwarding attachments that require a signature to drafts@docusign.net, you can turn those pesky email attachments into a DocuSign Envelope. This email address is protected from spambots and you need JavaScript enabled to view it. Presto! The attachment becomes a document, loaded an envelope in your drafts folder in DocuSign. You can e-sign anywhere in the world, now that your email can talk to DocuSign for you!

How To use Email to Electronic Signature

1. Forward an existing email or create a new email. Fill out the Subject with the subject you want to use for the DocuSign envelope, add a message, and attach the document(s) to be signed. Send the email to DocuSign at: drafts@docusign.net.
2. DocuSign takes your email and creates a draft envelope with all the attachments added as the documents for the envelope, the
3. email subject you sent becomes the envelope Subject, and message is added as the envelope message.
4. After creating the draft envelope, DocuSign sends an email to you with a link to the draft envelope.

Follow the link to your envelope – you’ll need to log into to your console to get to the draft envelope. Add the recipients and Stick-e-Tabs as you would normally. Review, send and done – you’ve sent an envelope with Email to Electronic Signature!

iPad & iPhone Support

You just bought an iPad! Of course we support it! While the DocuSign iPad app and iPhone app are currently in beta (which also works on the iPhone 4!), DocuSign does work on the iPad and iPhone with Designed for Mobile. We also offer best practices in a previous blog post on how to use DocuSign on your iPad! Designed for Mobile also works on your BlackBerry, Google Android (including Droid 2), and Windows Mobile devices as well.

Stay tuned for more information on DocuSign for iPad!

This double feature Feature Friday was inspired by you and our customers! Have other features or questions about how to use DocuSign? Register for our weekly Quick Start electronic signature webinar or leave me a comment about what you’d like to see!

• contact management tools
• time management tools
• transaction management tools
• fully branded marketing tools
• document storage features

Wise Agent also offers 24 hour customer support – the only system in the real estate industry to do so. They also offer free live online training classes, great for you to learn how to link your Wise Agent account to your website, so you can capture and follow-up with new leads!

By seamlessly connecting technology, people and business practices, Wise Agent increases productivity, organization while making it easy for its members to give full service to their clients to build long term relationships. Wise Agent’s partnership with DocuSign brings electronic signature to Wise Agent’s members, allowing for a completely paperless transaction from listing to close and then stores all documents online for easy access.

Top 5 Reasons Wise Agent Chose DocuSign as its Electronic Signature Partner

5. In a world where being “green” matters, Wise Agent supports the idea of a paperless transaction.

4. The DocuSign user interface is simple and intuitive.

3. DocuSign is the trusted resource in the industry.

2. At Wise Agent, customer service is paramount. We always try to partner with companies that have similar ideals when it comes to customer support, and we feel DocuSign is one of those companies.

1. We really liked and believed in the people behind DocuSign, including An Bui, Mike Pressnall, and Dave Thorpe.

Want to learn more about Wise Agent and DocuSign? Click to learn how you can capture leads and nurture the relationship with Wise Agent before closing the deal with electronic signature from DocuSign!