Twiddy and Company Realtors began in 1978 selling real estate in Ocean Dunes in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In 1979, Twiddy entered the vacation rental market, representing four properties in this 200-mile stretch where the Wright brothers made their first flight. In 2008, Twiddy and Company represented more than 830 vacation rentals in the Outer Banks region. Twiddy and Company Realtors has grown to more than 90 employees with two locations.
Business Challenge
Twiddy and Company accepts thousands of vacation reservations through its Web site. Every morning, administrative staff manually print, stuff and mail paper vacation rental agreements. Similarly, there was also considerable manual labor involved in processing returned agreements and scanning signed contracts into an electronic filing system. Twiddy needed a less repetitive, less costly and less time consuming solution. DocuSign Solution
Twiddy chose to integrate the DocuSign electronic signature service into their existing reservation software. With DocuSign’s Application Programming Interface (API), Twiddy could employ DocuSign services seamlessly within their legacy reservation software. In addition, Twiddy and Company added DocuSign custom branding to include the Twiddy logo, color palette and customized instructions to further extend the Twiddy brand. Results
Now after online reservations are reviewed and approved, rental agreements are automatically sent to customers for electronic signature notification that rental agreements require an electronic signature, with brief customized instructions explaining the DocuSign process. Twiddy now has complete visibility into the contract signing process as associates can easily monitor when agreements are signed and automatically recorded in the company’s reservation software.
In addition to rental agreements, Twiddy is using DocuSign for homeowner renewal contracts as well. Each contract is 13 pages in length and two agreements were sent to each homeowner for signature, signed, returned. As Twiddy represents more than 830 rental properties, this equates to printing more than 21,580 pages each year. Now Twiddy conducts renewals using the DocuSign eSignature service, saving time, reducing costs and eliminating paper.
“We are continually looking for ways to make our processes more efficient and remove unnecessary steps so that we are able to accomplish the same job with fewer resources and in less time,” said Laura Carver, chief technology officer for Twiddy and Company. “By using DocuSign, we have shortened the time it takes to secure signed vacation rental agreements, making life easier for our customers and employees. Customers love it because they can sign the contract as easily as sending an email—no more stuffing envelopes, running to the post office or incurring postage fees.”
