How eSignature with SMS Delivery Streamlines Government Agreements

As a communications channel for government agencies, email has become saturated. With the average person receiving 117 emails a day, it has a very low response rate of 6 percent. Additionally, four in ten U.S. adults from households making below $30,000 per year don’t have access to broadband services or a traditional computer, making it difficult for state and local agencies to serve them with systems that are optimized for desktops. Leading government agencies understand this and have since moved to provide SMS mass communications for everything from emergencies to paying property taxes.

SMS has become a preferred method of communication for citizens and government employees, who are accustomed to using self-serve, mobile-friendly, digital tools in their personal lives. However, there is still plenty of room for expanding its usage in the government arena for managing forms, agreements, applications, correspondence and approvals.

Now is the time to join the evolution into SMS correspondence – allowing for multi-channel communications for government agreements.

Complete agreements faster with SMS Delivery

 To further optimize efficiency in government, we recently announced the launch of SMS Delivery for eSignature, which allows agencies to reach signers wherever they are, through real-time notifications sent directly to their mobile device - enabling them to quickly open and electronically sign documents. The average time it takes someone to respond to a text message is 90 seconds, so SMS Delivery allows agencies to obtain signatures and complete agreements faster and more efficiently.

Here are a few use cases where SMS Delivery can help state and local government agencies achieve their mission:

• K-12 school districts: Streamlines the processing of all parental consent forms, including IEPs, where delivery of these documents is critical. By having multiple, varied attempts at parental communications, school districts mitigate the risk of lawsuits for non-delivery.
• Public utilities: Enhances the ability to communicate critical service issues and avoid shutoffs for nonpayment by getting customers into customer assistance plans faster. It also makes it easier to correspond with populations that don’t have access to computers, and primarily communicate via mobile.
• State child support agencies: Facilitates correspondence with younger parents, who often prefer to use text, for child support case management. In addition, it ensures that parents don't forget to bring the correct documents to their child support hearings without the need to upload documents remotely.
• Internal HR documents: Streamlines a wide-range of internal HR paperwork, such as timesheets, invoices, HR forms (I-9s) and contracts. Many government executives and leaders now prefer SMS as the most efficient channel for obtaining consent for these types of documents.

With more than 1,300 federal, state and local government agencies in all 50 states using DocuSign, SMS Delivery will help drive new efficiencies by opening up new horizons for overall citizen engagement.

To get started with eSignature SMS Delivery, contact sales or check out the guide.