5 Benefits of Using DocuSign During COVID-19 Crisis

NOLA Businesses Can Benefit From DocuSign During COVID-19 Crisis

Business leaders are overcoming COVID-19 disruption by leveraging remote IT capabilities. Programs such as DocuSign deliver proven interstate commerce benefits.  

New Orleans ranks among the most impacted COVID-19 health crisis areas. The outbreak prompted government officials to issue Stay at Home mandates, and only essential businesses remain open. Although professionals in law practices, accounting firms, and other organizations that handle sensitive and legal documents may be able to travel to the office, safety dictates working from home.

While working from a secure location dramatically decreases the chances of contracting COVID-19, professionals face significant logistical issues. Signing crucial documents electronically from a home office or device does not need to be one of them. That’s largely because the DocuSign program was already changing the way industry leaders manage electronic approvals, transactions, file legal briefs, and sign-off on agreements remotely. These are key benefits that DocuSign can deliver as New Orleans residents work safely from remote locations.

1: DocuSign Signatures Are Nationally Recognized

In 2000, Congress passed the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN Act) that recognizes electronic records and signatures have the full force of law in interstate commerce. This federal law was honored by industry leaders and Congress in 2010 when June 30 was deemed National ESIGN Day. While ESIGN Day might not be quite as popular as some other NOLA dates, it supports the fact that contracts or signatures “may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form,” according to the ESIGN Act.

2: DocuSign Ensures Authentication

Not witnessing someone sign an important agreement can be disconcerting. That’s understandable considering the document might not be legally binding unless signed an authorized individual. To compensate for not having eyewitnesses, DocuSign engages all parties through a series of authentication protocols. These include the following.

• Email Validation
• Requiring Access Code Authentication
• Requiring SMS Verification
• Federated Identity Authentication
• Conventional Phone Validation
• Third-Party Corroboration
• Social Identity Authentication
• Knowledge-Based Substantiation
• Geolocation Capture

These verifications are often embedded into e-documents that create an electronic authorization trail that cannot be denied.

3: Enterprise-Level Cybersecurity

Legally-binding electronic agreements and can be safely stored and protected in business networks, government databases, external backup drives, or in the Cloud. Once completed, these documents embed all the pertinent information into a single file secure from tampering. These are security measures the DocuSign application offers.

• Documents Sealed Against Hackers
• Platform Provides Encryption Protocols
• Admins Set User Permissions and Controls
• Meets ISO 27001 Information Security Requirements

Some consider DocuSign electronic signatures safer than paper documents that can be easily damaged, destroyed, or altered.

4: Improved Reporting & Compliance

Organizations that transition to electronic documents and e-signatures provide administrators with actionable data that can be accessed in real-time. These include business statistics, projections, and the prompt ability to comply with government mandates or audits. These are reasons why platforms such as DocuSign improve efficiency and save money.

• Available Electronic Audit Trail
• Verifiable Document Completion
• Data Export Options

In offices where personnel would have to input agreement information into a database to create reports, the electronically-authorized documents seamlessly flow into systems and reduce labor.

5: Completes Remote Workforce Capabilities

Perhaps the primary reason DocuSign has been trending in industry circles stems from the fact we are all dealing with the COVID-19 health crisis. This application allows professionals to conduct soup-to-nuts business deals online. It’s also important to note that such platforms can deliver remote workflow benefits even after the disruption subsides.

BIOS Technologies provides determined IT services and solutions in the New Orleans metro area. If your organization requires managed IT solutions during the crisis or wants to increase its remote footprint, contact BIOS Technologies.