How to Go Paperless with eSignature at Home

Summary•6 min read

Get your home office organized and join the paperless revolution. Here are ten ways for going, and staying, paperless.

Top 10 Ways to Use Electronic Signature at Home
Docusign eSignature: How it Works

Top 10 Ways to Use Electronic Signature at Home
Docusign eSignature: How it Works

Most paperwork can now be done electronically from the convenience of your own home on your laptop, tablet or smartphone. Electronic signature apps like Docusign eSignature make it easy to fill-out and sign everyday agreements to keep your household or home office running no matter where you are working.

You can sign documents online safely and securely with a few clicks. It’s easy, convenient and accepted by most businesses.

Top 10 Ways to Use Electronic Signature at Home

Health benefits

Fall typically is the open enrollment period for workers with employer-based health insurance or people who are eligible for government-run health insurance like Medicare to choose a health plan and sign up for health benefits. Many HR departments and insurance companies have shifted to electronic forms and signatures for enrolling in health insurance.

If you receive a form or contract via email that you need to sign, you can upload it to your Docusign account, drag and drop to fill-out required information and click or use the touch-screen drawing feature to sign. Completed documents are securely sent via Docusign to your recipients. And you’ll always have access to your signed documents by logging into your Docusign account - no paper copies required.

Don’t have a Docusign account? Set up a free account to sign as many documents as you want.

Unemployment benefits

Millions of people across the U.S. have lost their jobs because of the impact of the pandemic. If you are eligible for unemployment benefits and other financial assistance, check to see if your state allows you to file for and maintain your benefits by signing the application and attestation forms electronically.

Job applications

Job seekers are now used to using LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Fiverr and Upwork to look for freelance or full-time work. And now most companies are using digital forms and electronic signatures to let you apply for a job and fill-out necessary onboarding paperwork like I-9 and W-4 forms online. Docusign customers have access to pre-built I-9 and W-4 form templates and recently we announced an integration with Slack that allows [add about integrations with Workday, Slack]

Small businesses

Many small business owners have temporarily closed their physical locations and replaced them with virtual locations. Others are starting their own small businesses online to replace corporate jobs that they lost because of the COVID-19. Deploying eSignature allows both existing and new small business owners to manage all their contracts and agreements electronically and securely.

College applications

Fall is the time for high school seniors to apply for college. Many colleges have moved to electronic application processes. Colleges from UC Berkeley to University of Texas at Austin have integrated Docusign eSignature into application processes for housing, financial assistance, scholarships, and more.

Banking

Most people have stopped going to the bank for simple transactions like depositing or withdrawing money from their savings or checking accounts. But, opening an account or applying for a loan still might mean sitting down with a banker. Before you head to the bank, ask whether your bank can send you required paperwork electronically and whether you can submit your applications using electronic signature. Many financial institutions have adopted electronic signature technology to make it easier for customers to open an account or apply for a loan.

Sales and service

Roofs leak. Appliances break. Car batteries die. There will always be maintenance work to be done. You can get things fixed from wherever you are by receiving, reviewing and approving routine sales and service agreements on your smartphone.

If you receive a PDF quote via email that needs your signature, save it to a cloud document storage provider (iCloud, Dropbox, Google Docs, etc.), open your Docusign mobile app, upload the document, review, sign and return to the sender. Approve estimates quickly and easily so you can get everything up and running again.

Home improvement

With more people working from home, more people operating businesses from home and more people living and learning at home, space is at a premium. If you are ready for a home-improvement project, it will likely require contracts with contractors as well licenses and permits.

If you receive a PDF, a Google document, or a Word document for signature you can easily upload it to your Docusign account, sign and email it back to your contractor. The completed agreement will be securely stored in your Docusign cloud storage so you’ll always have access to it. How to sign a PDF with Docusign

Home sales

For some, home-improvement projects aren’t enough. If you are actively looking to upsize or downsize you are likely taking virtual home tours to check-out inventory. When the time comes, as anyone who has bought a home knows, there are reams of offers, sales contracts, loan applications, mortgage documents and more to sign. The good news is that many lenders and mortgage brokers are now using digital tools including electronic signature and digital transaction rooms that allow you to review and sign all of the paperwork electronically. Ask your broker about their digital processes.

If you are a real estate broker who is working with paper, check out our Rooms for Mortgage solution.

Medical visits

A routine trip to the doctor typically starts with being handed a clipboard full of forms that need to be read and signed. Before your visit, ask if there are any forms that can be sent to you electronically to sign before your visit. Many healthcare providers offer a patient portal with access to required HIPAA consent forms and medical history forms that you can fill-out and submit within the portal or by email. If your doctor doesn’t offer a portal, they might still be able to email you a copy of the forms you’ll be asked to complete. You can use Docusign eSignature to drag and drop required fields, sign, and return to your medical office securely through Docusign.

Docusign eSignature is a fast, reliable way to electronically sign documents and agreements on practically any device from almost anywhere in the world. Docusign is trusted by top organizations worldwide and legally accepted in 180+ countries.