An Up-close Look at Constellation1's eSign Dashboard for Managing eSignatures
Constellation1 eSign has launched a new development in the way users manage their signing sessions: the eSign dashboard. Here's a closer look. The new e-signature dashboard One of the biggest benefits of automating your electronic signature workflow is ease of mind, knowing you no longer have to think about the status of every session all the time. But since you're no longer keeping tabs on everything (and can think about more important things instead), you might lose track of where things are, especially during busy periods. We created the new eSign dashboard to give you a snapshot of your signing sessions and one-click access to the sessions that require your hands-on attention. Let's take a closer look. Find the right electronic signing session fast The top navigation allows you to quickly filter signing sessions by date, then further sort sessions using the eight tiles at the top of the dashboard. Each tile is marked and shows you exactly how many sessions meet the relevant criteria: The corresponding signing sessions will be listed below when you click a tile. If you're trying to ensure all your signing sessions go smoothly, you might be especially interested in Declined Signers and Failed Emails. Fix signing sessions and get things back on track If a signer decides they want to modify the terms of a contract before signing, they might decline to sign. In eSign, when a signer declines to sign, they are asked to give a reason. This reason will show in the Declined Signers section: Regardless of why a signer might decline to sign, you can fix it in no time. With just two clicks, you can either resend the document, update the signer information, or modify the document, so you can proceed: With the eSign dashboard, you can act quickly and easily to keep all your signing sessions on track. Constellation1 eSign is an easy way to get legally binding signatures on all your important documents quickly and easily. Thanks to the new eSign dashboard, you now have unprecedented visibility into all your signing sessions and even more peace of mind. Download our eSign Security and Legal Guide to learn even more about the advantages of eSign. To view the original article, visit the Constellation1 blog.

Lone Wolf Introduces the All-new Authentisign
Lone Wolf Technologies announced on Tuesday the release of the redesigned eSignature solution Authentisign. Authentisign was completely rebuilt and redesigned using cloud-based technology to provide real estate agents with a faster and simpler signing experience. Lone Wolf is releasing the new solution in select areas across the U.S. through Transactions (TransactionDesk Edition), starting in July. With over 750,000 licensed users and 28 million signatures processed in 2020, Authentisign is one of the most used eSignature solutions in real estate today. The solution is built directly into Lone Wolf Transactions (zipForm Edition and TransactionDesk Edition) and CREA WEBForms® powered by TransactionDesk, so agents and brokers can import listing data directly from their MLS, prepare listing agreements or offers, and get them signed in a single, connected, digital solution. In a mission to simplify this process even more, Lone Wolf redesigned Authentisign from the ground up, working together with thousands of agent and administrative users over the past two years for input and validation. The rebuilt Authentisign now includes a new Transaction Workspace tailored to agents; one that allows them to pull in forms, documents, and contacts in one place without having to go back and forth in their workflow. With this new workspace, agents can now send agreements and offers 60% faster in only three steps, an unprecedented ability only available through Authentisign. "This is a great day for agents, brokers, and homebuyers and sellers everywhere," said Jimmy Kelly, CEO and President of Lone Wolf. "With the market the way it is right now, it's critical that agents are able to work fast while staying in lockstep with their clients. The new Authentisign puts the fastest and most innovative eSignature solution in their hands, so they can prepare, send, and sign real estate documents effortlessly." "I participated in Lone Wolf's trial program, and I absolutely love the new Authentisign," said Janice Poetsch, Chief Administrative Officer from Fair Realty. "The new Authentisign was not only easier and faster than the previous version, but it was also easier and faster than any other eSignature solution I've used. The new transaction workspace is a massive time saver for real estate agents, and the signing experience for clients is incredibly intuitive." Authentisign is available to agents as an add-on to Lone Wolf Transactions and provided to over 750,000 agents in the U.S. and Canada as a member benefit via state/local associations, boards, and MLSs, and through many brokerages. Lone Wolf is releasing the all-new Authentisign in a phased rollout to Transactions (TransactionDesk Edition) users starting in July, while the solution will be made available to Transactions (zipForm Edition) users in 2022. "Signings are the moment of truth in real estate, so there's nothing more important to agents than getting this process right," said Dan Fortin, Product Manager at Lone Wolf. "Built into Transactions, the all-new Authentisign gives agents and their clients a simple and professional signing experience without unnecessary steps or explanations. This is a massive upgrade for digital signatures, and for real estate agents in particular; and it's one that can't be found anywhere else."

Are Electronic Signatures Legal? Everything You Need to Know
Despite the ubiquity of electronic documents and signatures, there is still a lot of confusion about their legality. In this blog, we answer the most frequently asked questions about eSignatures and whether they are legal. Are eSignatures legal? The short answer is YES! Thanks to two US laws, the E-Sign Act (2000) and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA, 1999), eSignatures are legally enforceable and trusted across the country and have been for over 20 years. They have the same legal validity as handwritten, or "wet," signatures. Other regions have enacted their own eSignature laws, such as the Electronic Identification and Trust Services Regulation (eIDAS) in the European Union and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) in Canada. eSignatures are a reliable and effective way to do business both at home and abroad. What makes an eSignature legal? According to the ESIGN Act, electronic signature means an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record. eSignatures must have the following features to stand up in court: Authentication: Signers must be authenticated so you can prove they are who they say they are. Consent: Signers must consent to doing business and signing documents electronically. Intent: Signers must demonstrate intent to sign to prove they did not sign unknowingly and weren't tricked. Paper trail: By this, we mean a digital paper trail, of course! There must be a detailed audit log of all signing session activity, users, clicks, actions, etc. Some solutions might also certify documents using a digital Certificate Authority on the Adobe Approved Trust List to "seal" the document, so you know if anything has been altered. Retention: All signed documents are sent to all parties and stored securely for reference. Are typed signatures legal? As long as the aforementioned rules are followed, typed signatures are perfectly legal and enforceable. In fact, you don't necessarily even need to "sign" anything at all. A simple check box that says, "I Agree" when signing up for a service is considered a type of electronic signature. The simple act of typing your name also helps to demonstrate intent to sign. What is non-repudiation? This ten-dollar word refers to a signer being unable to claim at a later date that they didn't sign a document or record. If a signature is non-repudiable, it means that it is ironclad and can't be challenged. Has eSignature validity every been challenged in court? The validity of eSignatures has been tested many times in court, and by and large, they have been upheld at the state and federal level. In Zakuski v. General American, the electronic process certifying a change in insurance beneficiary was upheld as sufficient for demonstrating intent. In Schrock v. Nomac Drilling, LLC, an employee tried to challenge an eSignature, but his employer's audit trail showed that the document was electronically signed using the employee's SSN at a specific location when the former employee was at that same location. The judge ruled that the signature was valid. Other cases include Obi v. Exeter Health Resources, Inc. and Moton v. Maplebear Inc. With Constellation1 eSign, you can do business and have your documents signed with complete peace of mind. Our eSignature solution is secure, reliable, and allows you to attach non-repudiable signatures to your important documents from anywhere. To view the original article, visit the Constellation1 blog.

Simplify Agent Onboarding with DocuSign
Brokerages, associations, and MLSs each have their own checklists when it comes to the onboarding process of real estate agents and staff. Onboarding frequently entails multiple digital signatures on employee or independent contractor agreements, as well as other documents (think I-9 and newly updated W-4 tax forms). Company onboarding also may include registering new users into a variety of third-party software applications.

Who Is Covered by CCPA and What Does It Require?
The California Consumer Privacy Act, often thought of as "California's GDPR," is prompting companies across the US to do far more than update their privacy policies. Starting January 1, 2020, new requirements will affect thousands of businesses that leverage a wide range of personal data connected to the nearly 40 million California residents, their households, and devices. While there's no singular roadmap to being "CCPA compliant" (and ongoing amendments to the CCPA text make that a moving target), there is no shortage of strategies to prepare for this new data privacy law.

New DocuSign and Keller Williams Deal Unleashes the Power of AI
DocuSign and Keller Williams unveiled a partnership this week that integrates DocuSign into Keller Cloud, the franchise's cloud-based technology hub. DocuSign will plug into Command, Keller Williams' smart CRM. Beyond the improvements in efficiency that Keller Williams agents are about to gain, what's intriguing about this announcement is how it gives the Keller Cloud's built-in AI access to transaction data for the first time. According to the news release, transaction data had previously been siloed away where the Keller Cloud's artificial intelligence layer couldn't reach. "Down the road, empowered through our AI, when an agent is writing an offer, they will know at the start, based on real-time data, whether or not an offer has a high or low probability of acceptance," said Neil Dholakia, KW's chief product officer. "They can then talk to their client and suggest tweaks to make the offer more compelling." DocuSign's integration into the Keller Cloud is expected to be complete by the end of the third quarter. Full press release follows:

It's Time to Modernize the Clickwrap Experience
We've all done it at some point. We've checked the box on a signup form that says we agree to a company's privacy policy, or we've scrolled to the end of a terms-and-conditions page and clicked the "I accept" button. Companies have been using--and people have been accepting--these standard "clickwrap" agreements for years now. The process seems simple enough. One click, and you're done, right? Maybe that's the case for customers. But for companies, clickwraps are more complex, incurring needless risks and costs.

Simplify and Accelerate Agreements with Dropbox Extensions
Any time that DocuSign can simply life and accelerate business for our users around the world, we will. And that's why today is an exciting day: we get to showcase our latest integration with our partner, Dropbox, in the form of 'Dropbox Extensions.'

From the Quill to the Stylus: The History of the Signature in Celebration of National ESIGN Day
Electronic signatures gained legal acceptance 17 years ago when then-President Clinton signed the Federal ESIGN Act into law. Ten years later, we celebrated the very first National ESIGN Day on June 30, 2010. We also thought we'd take a look back at the signature itself over the course of millennia — and how the past has shaped the modern day e-signature. Let's dive in:

DocuSign Comments: A Quick and Dirty How-To
There's no substitute for real-time collaboration. As we progress further into the digital age, technology has enabled us to complete tasks more efficiently than ever before: Our groceries can be delivered with a few taps on our device. The lighting of our living rooms and the music playing in our homes can be changed with a simple, verbal request. And our contracts and agreements? They can be discussed directly, in real-time through DocuSign's Comments feature. Comments is now available to all DocuSign customers and early adopters have been using Comments for a variety of use cases over the last few months. If you'd like to use Comments but it's not enabled for your account, you can reach out to support here to enable this new feature. To help you hit the ground running, here's a quick and dirty how-to on enabling comments, plus a short video introducing the feature.

DocuSign + Box Integration Launches Single Sign-On
DocuSign and Box customers have always enjoyed the ability to take documents stored in a Box folder and send them for eSignature using DocuSign. We're excited to announce that Box and DocuSign integration now supports Single Sign-On, or SSO! Existing users of the integration will simply need to re-authenticate into the application once with their SSO credentials (or regular DocuSign credentials if they do not have SSO) when sending a document from Box and they will then be directed to their existing DocuSign instance. Here's how it works.

Labor Day Weekend: What Better Time to Save Time?
"Genius begins great works; labor alone finishes them." — Joseph Joubert The first Monday of every September, we celebrate workers and their economic and social achievements. While Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, autumn doesn't actually begin until September 21st — which gives you plenty of time to get in a few more dips in the lake and one last trek out to the wilderness.

DocuSign is a Lifesaver for the Home Industry—Here’s Why
We don’t exactly live in the Matrix yet, but homes are definitely getting the digital treatment. Every step in a home’s lifecycle has been touched by technology—from the first construction to the final sale. It’s not just home improvement—the construction and real estate trades have come to rely on online programs to manage customers, listings, and projects. Agents set up virtual tours to entice homeowners online, book showings through the internet, and search listings using industry applications. Remodelers have found no less benefit from moving more of their business online—they score new customers through their social media and marketing efforts, or simplify their planning process using project management and 3D rendering software that make difficult renovations proceed smoothly. With so much of our work lives going digital, paper contracts feel absolutely prehistoric, which is why so many Realtors and contractors have switched over to digital signing programs. Specifically, here’s what each trade stands to gain from a more high-tech contract process.

My Techy Valentine: A Love Letter to Google
Fun fact: Google gets its name from the word "googol," a mathematical term for the number 1 followed by 100 zeroes. And yet — we could profess our unwavering admiration for Google a googol times over — and it would not be enough. In simpler terms: Google, we like you. To celebrate Valentine's Day, we're penning odes about some of our oldest and most valued friendships. Google, this one's for you: An Ode to Google Signing quickly is divine But more divine from Google DriveBetter yet from Google ChromeGmail, GSuite — work or home.Let's be honest: You're a verbAnd intertwined with daily lifeWhen asked to sign — why minimize?Instead, makes sense to sign straight fromThe Google apps we know and loveNo closing tabs —No switching apps —Pretty, pretty, pretty neatPretty Suite we think indeed.Google, all that's left to say?We value you in many ways.

DocuSign's New CEO: 'Why I’m Proud to Sign on'
When I talked to friends and family over the holidays about my excitement to join DocuSign in the New Year, I was astonished by the response. One after another would comment: "DocuSign? I love DocuSign." People's enthusiasm for DocuSign matched my own in every instance. Whether it's buying a house, closing a deal to meet quota, or signing a parent permission slip for a school field trip, people have a very real and very strong connection with this company and its products. And it makes sense. DocuSign helps you take care of important things quickly, easily and securely – so you can get to other, often even more important and higher value things in both life and business. It's so fast and easy that you wonder why you ever did it any other way. That's powerful. And it's why I'm thrilled to be joining the company as CEO. That, and the tremendous opportunity ahead of the company and our team across three dimensions: 1. Impact. Anyone can use this technology to make their lives and their businesses better. The team here is defining and growing a category with incredible breadth. There is not another private Software-as-a-Service company that has bigger potential. Every individual professional, every small business, every global enterprise and every business department therein are potential customers; and every consumer is a potential user. Already, DocuSign has significant scale as the pioneer and global standard for eSignature and Digital Transaction Management with more than 100 million users across 188 countries. And we're adding 130,000 new users every day as we expand into new industries, new markets and new geographies. That's exciting.  

Improving Transaction Efficiency with DocuSign's Integrated Solutions
Inaccurate or incomplete documentation can bog down productivity and even undermine a trust relationship with clients—but it is an inevitable problem when transferring data between multiple software solutions throughout a real estate transaction. However, the leading document and transaction management service provider, DocuSign, recently announced enhancements to their real estate product lines that provide a true 'lead-to-close' document management strategy. Through partnerships with other leading property data, customer resource management (CRM), accounting, loan origination, and title companies, DocuSign now offers Realtors the ability to manage and track transactions—completely digitally. These new efficiency gaining tools are available to Realtors through the already familiar DocuSign Transaction Rooms for Real Estate. Agents can access property data from 100 million property listings and create a secure online transaction room that is automatically pre-populated with with key details, for efficient collaboration with agents, clients, and other parties. Even better, single sign-on capabilities enables agents to more effectively leverage some of their other everyday transaction solutions as property and transaction details are pushed directly from DocuSign's transaction room—without re-entering the data. For brokers, DocuSign's paperless transaction management solution delivers end-to-end oversight compliance. Workflow templates can be tailored to include reminders, deadlines, and even customized notifications so that transactions can be kept on track every step of the way. The digital audit trail creates added security, ensuring that documentation is complete and accurate throughout each transaction. In fact, Dilbeck Real Estate, an independent, family-owned firm with 600 agents in 14 offices, realized enhanced accountability and business security after implementing DocuSign's transaction management solution.

Digital Transformation: Learn how leading brokers are going fully digital from lead to close. (10/25)
Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 10:00 AM PDT The real estate world is changing, and the future will feature transactions that are 100% digital from lead to close. Real estate leaders will discuss the importance of embracing the future by going fully digital with key integrations such as qualified lead generation, transaction management, closing the deal, and everything in between. Register now!

AuthentiSign and the Counter Offer (9/13)
Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 8:30 AM PDT AuthentiSign and the Counter Offer will show the steps to Prepare a Counter Offer Form, Upload a 'Buyer Signed' Purchase Offer and prepare both for e-signing. We will highlight the signing participants steps to access and accept the prepared contract packet. AuthentiSign is e-Sign and UETA compliant as well as FHA approved! We look forward to 'seeing' you there!! Register now!

DocuSign Tips for Real Estate: It's All in the (Configurable) Details
If you are a DocuSign Transaction Rooms: Broker Edition user and have looked at our Transaction Room Details tab recently, you may have noticed that we've added a lot. These additions include a Contact Information section, a Service Providers section, more listing and offer details, a Comment section, as well as an extensive list of Lone Wolf data fields for users who utilize that integration. Although it's great that we offer all of these new detail fields for our Broker Edition users, not every organization may need or want each data field. To help Transaction Rooms better fit the organizations using it, we created a configurable "Transaction Details" section. The company admin of each organization can adjust not only what is visible to internal and external users, but also what is required when a Transaction Room is created, and what is required before submitting a Transaction Room for final review. This has become a very powerful tool for organizations that lean heavily on our Details section, as it allows them to utilize DocuSign Transaction Rooms as a type of data aggregator. Let's a take a look at how Broker Edition users can access the "Transaction Details" section and what the implications are of enabling particular detail fields within a Transaction Room.

DocuSign now enabled with Google Docs Android Add-Ons
Shaving a few seconds off from trying to get something done can be valuable for those that are always on-the-go. Gone are the days of finding a coffee shop with Wi-Fi to sit and open up your laptop, most people just want to get it done with a few taps on their mobile device. Today, DocuSign is excited to announce a product integration with one of the few mobile apps that can be considered "ubiquitous"–Google Docs. Our integration allows you to use DocuSign to sign and get documents signed directly within the app through its newly launched "Docs and Sheets Android Add-ons." Now, users can pull up documents already saved in their Google Docs (or Sheets) app on Android and directly prepare the document to sign themselves or even send to others to get their signatures. The secure and reliable signing from DocuSign paired with the power and speed of Google Apps brings you to the next level of productivity.

Tips for Real Estate: Give Your Transaction Rooms More Than an Address, Give Them a Name
Many customers have asked in the past, "What happens if we want to create a Transaction Room for our clients, but they haven't chosen a property yet?" I would always suggest for the user to add the client's name into the address area, rather than the property address. This wasn't a perfect solution, but one that worked for many people. As of our June 2016 release, we now have a simple solution for that situation—give the Transaction Room whatever name you'd like. With the new "Name" field in the Create New Transaction modal, you can now name the Transaction Room as you wish. You can name it the property address, the client's name, or whatever you see fit. This new feature may seem somewhat trivial, but the opportunities now available within DTR are quite significant. Here are two ways to use the new Name field within Transaction Rooms.

DocuSign Transaction Rooms for Real Estate: Broker Edition (7/6)
Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at 1:00 PM PDT This webinar will cover the basics of how to use DocuSign Transaction Rooms for Real Estate so you can get started and accelerate your business! Register now!

DocuSign Transaction Rooms for Real Estate (6/15)
Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at 1:00 PM PDT This webinar will cover the basics of how to use DocuSign Transaction Rooms for Real Estate so you can get started and accelerate your business! Register now!

Introducing the DocuSign Today Widget
For some of us, DocuSign is much more than an application to sign documents. More than ever, people are using DocuSign as the command center for keeping their business moving forward. Whether it's getting reminders to sign documents that your team is waiting on or receiving a notification once a new client has signed their agreement, DocuSign is changing the way people do business anytime, anywhere. And now we've made it even easier. The DocuSign Today Widget allows you to quickly and easily get an update on your outstanding documents right from the Today Tab in your Notification Center on iOS. You can even take action on those outstanding items right from the window with buttons that take you directly into our signing experience.

DocuSign Quick Tips: Pics and Signatures
The digital age has brought us unparalleled amounts of efficiency, security, and innovation. We’re exchanging information more quickly and more effectively than we ever have in history. We can brainstorm, edit documents, and communicate with anyone, anywhere, instantly. We can complete transactions in hours instead of days or weeks. And yes–we can even tell an app to bring us food without ever speaking to another person. (Good or bad? You decide.) Yet with the replacement of handwritten letters, and, at times, in-person meetings, it’s important that we leverage technology to help us maintain the authentic feel many of our pre-digital communication methods produced so well. To help ensure your DocuSign account sounds more human and less “machina,” here are three simple tips: Add a Profile picture It may seem a small thing, but uploading a profile picture on your DocuSign account can set you apart. After all, who doesn’t want to go from monochromatic, featureless avatar to…well, themselves? (Or in the case of this blog’s author, a sloth.) To add a photo, click on the “Edit” link to the right of “My DocuSign ID” on the homepage of your DocuSign account. You will be taken to your “Personal Information” under which you can select “upload photo” from the dropdown menu. Select your photo, et voila!

[INFOGRAPHIC] 5 Signs You’re Ready for a Paperless Office
The concept of a paperless office has been around for a long time, but you still haven't made the transition. Maybe you're not fully aware of the benefits or you're questioning if you're really ready. Wondering if it's time for you to go paperless? Check out the infographic below for the 5 signs you're ready for a paperless office.

Tips for Real Estate: DocuSign Tasks Just Got Easier
As DocuSign continues to study the way customers utilize our product, we learn how it can be improved. Since DocuSign Transaction Rooms: Broker Edition was launched, the Needs My Attention section has been highly utilized by our customers. Fast-forward to our September 2015 release, Tasks. We saw this trend increase and found an opportunity to break out the Needs My Attention section into a more digestible piece termed Tasks Dashboard (shown below). This new Tasks Dashboard tab combines all relevant information for not only tasks, but also task lists and Transaction Rooms needing final review.

DocuSign Releases Task Lists to Help Keep Brokerages on Track
We all work differently. Some people prefer to multitask while others would rather focus on one thing at a time. Maybe you like to knock out the little things first, then set your sights on the big stuff. Or, perhaps you're the type of person who tackles the most challenging parts of a project right out of the gate. Regardless of your approach, I think we can all agree that none of the how matters if we don't exactly know what needs to be done. Simply winging it doesn't work out too well in real estate. We like to think we've found a better way for you to manage your transactions and stay on top of everything that needs to get done before closing a deal. Our latest release for users of DocuSign for Real Estate PLUS, Broker Edition enhances the document checklists you're used to by including tasks that may not necessarily involve paperwork. We're calling them task lists, and they'll help ensure not only that all the documents are completed, but also things like putting signs in yards and picking up a tray of pastries for an open house are taken care of as well. Before I go any further, I want to make it clear that your document checklists are not going away. You won't even have to rebuild them; they're just becoming part of the new task lists. There are a number of cool things you can do with task lists, but something in particular that I like is the dynamic due date and role creation based on information in individual Transaction Rooms. For example, when you create a task list template, you're not going to know exact due dates or who will be responsible for completing the task. With due dates, you'd specify the number of days before or after a certain event in the transaction (e.g. Expected Closing Date). To select the person assigned to the task (referred to as the Assignee), you'd select a role such as the buyer's agent.

Free Electronic Fax Number for Document Management
There are a lot of things to consider in choosing an online document management solution. Because of the copyright laws, you should always begin your decision making by contacting your local association of REALTORS® or MLS. In the case of agents and brokers who use zipForm®, only a few companies like DocuSign have a license agreement to integrate zipForm into their transaction management and document management solution. There was a major lawsuit between the California Association of Realtors® and DotLoop because agents were loading CAR forms into DotLoop without a license agreement. That sort of thing violates the CAR copyright. Transaction Rooms is the transaction management and document management software that is provided as an enhanced service to the renowned DocuSign electronic signature solution. When bundled, the services suite that includes everything is called DocuSign for Realtors® Plus. It is available in both an agent product and an enterprise version for brokers. There is seamless integration between zipForm® and DocuSign and Transactions Rooms when you purchase DocuSign Plus. You simply authorize the connection with your zipForm account and the solutions are integrated and begin working together. Helpful Tip: It is a good idea to use the same email address and password for all three solutions. Although everything is integrated, sometimes you want to just log into one of the three and remembering all of those passwords can be a drag.

Best Practices for Inviting People to a Transaction Room
Do you invite people to participate in your DocuSign Transaction Rooms? Do the invitees actually join the Transaction Room? Since the infancy of DocuSign Transaction Rooms (DTR), inviting people to a Transaction Room has been a vital feature with a number of benefits. Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post that covers these questions, Top 5 Reasons to Invite People to a Transaction Room. That post covers the question why. This post is about the how. Here are two best practices for inviting people to a Transaction Room: 1. Communicate what DocuSign Transaction Rooms is with invitees before adding them to the Transaction Room. Create a standard email or give the invitee(s) a quick call to explain what DTR is and how they can utilize it. Explain that they can choose to accept or ignore the invitation and it won't affect the way you can communicate documentation with them. Here is an example of an email that was sent from an agent to a client: Good Afternoon Jamie, I hope you are having a fantastic day. I wanted to give you a quick heads up that you will be receiving an email invitation to join what is called DocuSign Transaction Rooms. I utilize this program to store all of the documentation involved in your home sale. You can choose to both accept the invitation and join the Transaction Rooms for free, or choose to take no action with the invite, which won't affect the way I can share documents with you. If you decide to create a Transaction Room account, you'll have the ability to see all of the documents involved in your home sale today and after closing. You'll also have the ability to download those documents to your computer or even email them to other people if need be. If you don't accept the invitation, you'll still receive copies of all documentation, you'll just have to download them to your computer from an emailed link. If you have any questions about this or anything else, please give me a call. Have a great day!

Quick Tip: Adopting Multiple Signatures
Why: DocuSign offers a feature that allows you to adopt multiple signature types. This way you can have a signature that reflects your legal name with your middle initial, your hyphenated name, or your drawn signature instead of a type-face font. How: To adopt multiple signatures, log into your DocuSign account and select My Preferences from the drop-down menu under your name. Then, click Manage Identity (for some accounts, it may be listed as Names Available).

Avoid 2 Colossal Mistakes When Going Paperless
Moving away from physical files and adopting a paperless transaction management system has its perks. It can improve client satisfaction, reduce liability, and help agents work more efficiently, according to a recent RealTrends report. Going paperless is also an ideal way to instantly access and track your office's vital numbers. But we all know that the road to success often has some bumps along the way. I was an eyewitness to a semi-paperless office (SPO), where agents turned in paper contracts that were then saved to the cloud for review and storage. This was a trying period that resulted in at least one agent threatening to leave for another firm. Here are two colossal mistakes that brokers should avoid so that more of their agents accept the transition to the cloud and adopt the paperless revolution in the industry. Mistake 1: Adding More Time to Your Agents' Workload At the SPO, many of the agents were already accustomed to the local MLS's online forms that automatically populated the agent's information, synced additional data added to the forms (like cooperating agent or client information), retrieved MLS data, and transmitted the forms from the MLS with e-signing options built in. This was fantastic for agents because they spent less time filling out contracts and chasing parties down to get signatures. Thus, the agents of the SPO wanted a new system to include those same features — because who wants to upgrade to something that requires more work, right?

Follow the Leader: Ken Moyle from DocuSign Leading Real Estate into Faster Transactions
DocuSign Chief Legal Counsel Ken Moyle isn't necessarily a person that many in the industry are familiar with, but without him, real estate transactions would look a lot different today. We all think of DocuSign as one of the leaders in digital transaction management, but few understand the pioneering efforts that Moyle and DocuSign have led on behalf of REALTORS®, home buyers, and sellers behind the scenes. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Moyle about these efforts and the future of online transactions. Simplifying FHA Transactions Over the past few years, the FHA has become a much larger force in the real estate business. As recently as 2010, the FHA lacked a process to handle transactions that were "DocuSigned." It didn't recognize the electronic signature as a safer, more effective, and more transparent way to fulfill the regulatory process. Moyle spent 18 months educating and discussing policy with FHA representatives, including acting Director of Single Family Vicki Bott and Commissioner David Stevens. Today, REALTORS® are able to electronically sign an FHA transaction due, in large part, to the diligence of Moyle. You might ask, as I did, how did he position himself so well to be able to have that kind of influence? Like anything, it came with hard work and persistence. Moyle had a leadership role in the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC). The group was formed to help individuals and organizations use secure, efficient, easy-to-use, and interoperable identity credentials to access online services in a manner that promotes confidence, privacy, choice, and innovation. Moyle also has been involved with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) mortgage eClosing conversations.

Video: Grow. Retain. Acquire.
Last week, we co-hosted our penultimate webinar of 2014 (don't miss our final webinar of the year this Wednesday!). We teamed up with San Francisco broker Aaron Wheeler to learn about the technology tool he swears by for the success of his business. In a live demo, Wheeler demonstrated how DocuSign helps his company grow, acquire new business, and retain top agents. If you missed the live event, you can watch the webinar below:

Electronic Signatures 101
Doubtless you're all familiar with the basic concept of electronic signatures. After all, this popular technology is an exceptionally great fit for our document-intensive industry. Still, there's no time like the present to develop this basic familiarity into a more complete understanding of technology that can truly make a difference in your business. Although each electronic signature solution serves the same primary purpose (allowing greater speed and flexibility in the signing of documents), they are all slightly different. To help you learn more about e-signature solutions, we recommend reading the following articles. They're a good place to get started: 8-Point Checklist for Evaluating eSignature Security Can You Trust That eSignature? How to Spot a Tampered Document Ask the Expert: How Do I Choose an eSignature? Electronic Signatures FAQ Choosing the Right Tool If you're in the market for an electronic signature solution, there are questions you can ask to evaluate which option is right for you, like: Does this technology support the forms that are required in my MLS? What other formats are supported (i.e. .pdf and Word documents)? Does this technology integrate with my document and/or transaction management solution?

DocuSign's Mike Dinsdale: Leadership from the CFO Position
Every executive within a company needs to be a leader. That holds especially true for the role of the Chief Financial Officer. I had an opportunity to have a conversation about leadership from the CFO position with Mike Dinsdale of DocuSign that shines a light on a new style of CFO that is emerging in business today – a CFO focused on strategy and corporate development. Dinsdale's focus is as much external as internal for DocuSign, and he is inspiring many of the top CFOs in America to take a fresh look at their role in their organization. The Chief Financial Officer is defined in so many different ways across organizations today. It is hard to cull up the "typical" responsibilities of this position even when you try to align responsibilities according to the size of the company. Inevitability, the CFO has hands in many roles across the organization, if not all of them, to some degree. The list includes: Human Resources, IT, Accounting, Facilities, Budgeting, Strategic Planning, Business Development, Mergers and Acquisitions, Training, Support, Product Development, and so on. "All of these are the component parts of my departmental functions, but only a small portion is really what I do every day," says Dinsdale. Dinsdale joined DocuSign when the company was 50 people. Today, the company is 1000 people. Along the way, his focus has always been on corporate development and strategy. Everything else under his tent is accomplished by hiring the right people. I asked Dinsdale about their recent transition to paperless vendor systems. His response was that "my role in that was bringing on a good comptroller that does things like that." There are rumors about DocuSign going public, and Dinsdale has that experience. I asked him how much of his time is spent on that. "I hired a VP of investor relations," he replied. "Today, we do closings like a public company and practice mock earnings calls. We will be ready to go public if or when that makes sense for the company," says Dinsdale.

Finding Work-Life Balance in the Summer Sales Season
When it comes to revenue, summer is to real estate what Christmas is to retail. For most people, summer means the beach, vacation, and barbecues. But in real estate, the warm weather months bring the hottest market of the year, and that doesn't leave agents and brokers with much room for downtime. On the other hand, the kids are out of school, the weather is beautiful and, well, you're not just a selling machine. You're also a parent, aunt, uncle, friend, and community member beholden to more people than just your clients. Obviously, your clients are very important to the health of your business, so how do you balance your obligations to them with those of your personal life? The issue here is time--or the lack of it. To reclaim some of those precious hours and minutes, look to your business processes and workflow. Where are there inefficiencies that you can improve on? The tools you use are also a major part of effective time management. This week, we're talking to San Francisco broker Aaron Wheeler to hear his experiences navigating a bustling market. Join us for this free online event to learn about his favorite tool for saving time (and money)! Date: Wednesday, July 9, 2014 Time: 1 PM Eastern / 12 PM Central / 11 AM Mountain / 10 AM Pacific Reserve your seat today!

Friday Freebie: Broker Success Kit from DocuSign
There are plenty of reasons for brokerages to embrace paperless technology today--increased efficiency and reduced costs being just a few. But here's another reason you may not have considered: consumers are starting to demand it. The conventional wisdom is that brokers and agents have traditionally led the charge to adopt electronic signatures and other paperless technology. Today's consumer, however, is increasingly tech savvy and more attached to their mobile devices than ever before. They're uninterested in going to their broker's office to sign paperwork. For them, convenience is the name of the game. For brokers, providing a superior customer experience should be a top priority. Consumers are the drivers of change in our industry, and if your company can't keep up, consumers have no qualms about finding another brokerage who can. If you're not sure where to get started, or simply want to learn more, DocuSign is offering a free Broker Success Kit. In it, you'll learn why going mobile gives you the competitive edge and read helpful insights from industry leaders who have successfully implemented this technology. The DocuSign Broker Success Kit includes: Customer Experience Drives Adoption (Forrester research report) Going Mobile with DocuSign (White paper) Century 21 Enhances Client Relationships, and Cuts Cost (Case study) The GoodLife Team Enhances the Customer Experience and Saves 450 Hours per Year (Case study) Download your copy of the Broker Success Kit today!

Ask the Expert: How Do I Choose an eSignature?
Today's "Ask the Expert" column features Tom Gonser, the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of DocuSign. Q: As the importance of eSignatures continues to grow, what must real estate professionals keep in mind when choosing a product? A: As DocuSign's founder, I'm familiar with eSignature legal frameworks, especially in real estate as a primary market for us. In the past four years, we've seen big changes in the use of tech with eSignature as the preferred way REALTORS® close transactions. In fact, NAR reported that more than 50 percent of all REALTORS® have used eSignature in the past year. eSignature eliminates printing, faxing, scanning and overnighting to create an easier, faster, more convenient and secure transaction. However, if not careful, agents can put their clients and transactions at risk with the wrong eSignature tool. As a third party with a significant stake in the integrity of real estate contracts, banks must ensure the validity of contracts funded by their loans. Banks across the country, including Bank of America, have supplied detailed requirements for eSigned documents. While some eSignature solutions meet the minimum requirements set by the U.S. ESIGN Act, many don't create reliable contracts. Some aren't even compliant with the ESIGN Act.

The market is poised for big change. Are you?
The time is now. You've probably heard that a million times in the course of your life and business. But never has it been so true. We've finally arrived at the inflection point where consumers and real estate agents are both ready to manage the home sale transaction online. People weren't quite ready for this ten, five, or even two years ago. They are now. How do we know? Think about other things people do online now that would've been unthinkable not too long ago: They will rent a complete stranger's apartment or house without ever meeting them in person (likewise, they're willing to rent out their own residence to complete strangers!). They will deposit checks by snapping a picture with their phone and uploading it to a mobile app. They'll send all their financial data to one online source to get a big-picture view of where their money is going or growing. Work and business have also made huge strides in moving online. One market analyst now estimates that 375 million people use free and paid cloud storage systems like Dropbox, Google Drive and Microsoft SkyDrive, and the number could climb to 500 million by the end of 2012.

Three Traits of Every Rock Star Real Estate Agent
It's certainly been a rough few years for the real estate industry. In most cases, there are fewer deals happening, and those which do close, sell for significantly less. Given this, agents need every advantage they can find to stay ahead of their competition and provide each and every customer with the best experience possible. Happy clients (and the referrals from them), after all, are what fill the bulk of agents' pipelines. Agents are feeling pressure from both a soft market and from the ever-shifting demands of consumers clamoring for reduced hassle in their transaction, which nowadays includes a completely electronic environment. It's this shift in the industry that requires agents to take a different approach to their business and adopt the traits of those who are truly "rock stars." Here are three ways the most successful agents have adapted to the ever-changing industry and market: 1. Client Convenience. It's a fact: Inefficiency and time kills deals. Agents need to adopt technology that solves real problems, instead of relying on tools (or multiple tools) that solve a portion of the problem or a portion of a business process. Look for a solution that solves an entire business process. Buyers and sellers — especially the younger generation — expect to do most of their negotiating, amending and signing online. This client expectation is what should drive implementation of technology, making everyone's lives easier, including that of the agent.

Be Thankful for the Good Things in Life
The real estate industry is as competitive as it’s ever been. For many REALTORS, success requires working smarter, a tough skin, courage, and innovation. The difficulties and frustrations of a highly competitive atmosphere make it all too easy for work to dominate our lives. Other aspects of life can get easily pushed aside when you need to head back out the door to meet with a client or stay up late to work on marketing strategies or through an outdated transaction process from the stone age. The high stress load, deadlines, choke points in your business process and use of technology can block out many of the good things in life.  

Friday Freebie: DotLoop
DotLoop’s Friday Freebie is a little bit different. Instead of offering a free trial to everyone, they’re giving away an exclusive 90 days of their full DotLoop solution, for up to 10 agents, to one broker. To enter, email your name and contact information to [email protected]. The winner will be announced next week at the National Association of REALTORS® conference on November 11th. You will be informed by email if you’ve been chosen as the winner.   90-Day Free Trial of DotLoop Reward your 10 top agents with the full functionality of the DotLoop system.  DotLoop is a transaction hub that connects people  with documents in real time.   Benefits of DotLoop include:   Paperless Transactions – Saving time, storing documents, and improving user experience. Virtual Access – Controlling cost and freeing up more time in your schedule. Collaborative Transactions – for faster deals and improved accuracy. Integrated E-Signatures- improve productivity and security.   Clients will also appreciate the benefits of DotLoop.

How Realistic is the Idea of a Paperless Office?
Guest contributor, GoPaperless Solutions, says: For some, the paperless office is all about conservation and environmental protection. For many reasons conservation and protection are good ideas; therefore, so are paperless offices and paperless document management. For those not-so-tree-huggerish folks out there, for whom the paperless office has had no draw at all, it's definitely time to take a fresh look at this idea. A paperless office can benefit the bottom line as much as it does lakes and streams. Sometimes a good idea is just, well, a good idea.

Eco-Friendly Practices for Your Business
      Most businesses today want the positive press of operating “green”.  Some think that it’s expensive to do, however most simple steps you can take can actually save money, not to mention protect the environment.  Green marketing is a great start; try paperless marketing practices.  Instead of reams of posters, flyers and mailers, try blogging and e-newsletters to point out your new listings.  Also, the greatest resource that is paperless is your social network.  Keep in mind with social networking, it’s not your friends, but their friends that you really want to reach, so a little common sense is in order.  Don’t post listings every day, and instead use your network to post short articles or links to interesting stories.