Questions about Electronic Signatures and Online Contract Execution?

One of the reasons I enjoy my role as an Electronic Signature and Electronic Contract Execution evangelist is DocuSign's users come up with some interesting questions! I've included some recent questions about DocuSign's signing process, document retrieval after completion of the electronic contract execution process, and "problems with one or more signatures."

Enjoy the questions and answers - as always, please feel free to head over to the DocuSign forums to ask us your questions about electronic signatures, share your expertise developed from your early adoption of electronic signatures, and give us feedback on what features you'd like to see in future releases!

Q: Is there any way for signers to be able to read rather than jump to next tab, during the online contract execution process?

A: Signers can use the navigation bar to scroll through the document at their leisure. The signer can also print or download the document. Another option for signers is clicking on the "printable version" button near the top of the screen once they are viewing the electronic document. A menu will pop up and the signer can select the 'envelope PDF' and either save the PDF to their computer or print out a copy.

Q: I got an email saying that my document had been signed... how do I get the copy?

A: Once the document is uploaded, tagged and sent, it stays on the website. The client(s) get a notification to sign, and then you get a notification that electronic contract execution process was completed. No actual documents are ever transferred back and forth because emailing sensitive documents as email attachments is against many state and federal laws. "Solutions" that actually email documents back to signers after they have been signed create some potentially serious legal issues for the users.

Also, you can check the status or retrieve your documents any time by logging into your DocuSign account, going to your Sent Items folder, and selecting the envelope.

Q: I have opened a document that was signed by DocuSign and it says "problems with one or more signatures". How can I correct this?

A: There is nothing wrong with the DocuSign signatures on the document. The message you've encountered is usually caused by Adobe Acrobat not automatically trusting the VeriSign PKI Certificate (digital signature) on your DocuSign document. This is fairly easy to remedy. Follow the steps below:

*Adobe Acrobat 9

- Log-in to DocuSign
- Open up the DocuSign Envelope and double-click to open.
- Click on PRINTABLE VERSION in the upper right.
- Adobe Acrobat will launch in a new window with your file displayed in PDF format.
- Click on “Signature Panel Button” (upper right) and the signature panel opens to the left
- Right click on "Rev.1: Signed by DocuSign, Inc."
- Click on “Show Signature Properties”
- Click “Show Certificate button” (under the summary tab) - the Certificate Viewer opens
- Click “Trust” tab.
- Click “Add to Trusted Identities”
- Adobe Security window opens, click "OK"
- Click OK again until you exit from the all the dialogue boxes.

Next time you open up a PDF, the DocuSign Signature should be valid (trusted). Find more information from Adobe about digital signatures, changes and improvements.

Come to the DocuSign Forum and join the discussions about electronic signatures and electronic contract execution.