Why eSignatures are only the start when it comes to cloud agreements

Digital workplaces have made business processes slicker and faster. This includes being able to communicate and collaborate in real-time, from even the remotest of locations. It also includes cloud agreements.

From this advanced connectivity and digital control, comes more opportunities to complete transactions and bed down approval systems. It stands to reason that any form of sign off should now be completed in the cloud.

Not only can you seal deals instantly, but you can approve projects of all types and sizes by project teams, executives and boards at the touch of a button, in a highly accountable way.

This leads to important questions such as:

“How can an agreement based on an eSignature be secure and verifiable?

4C has “boxed off” some of these issues, including the above, thanks to its partnership with DocuSign. Cybersecurity and data control built into DocuSign include encryption at the highest possible level, and a tight security access feature within this cloud agreement system.

One of the other common questions on this topic is how to maximise contract management in the cloud, to transform business transactions and approval processes.

The importance of the DocuSign Agreement Cloud

DocuSign-Agreement-Cloud

Two of the most pressing business priorities of the modern age are the twin goals of transparency and accountability. Achieving both must be in a highly controlled manner. Contract creation and management online make this infinitely achievable.

You can also share data about sensitive transactions and important projects in real-time, with a secure chain of approval made crystal clear. Plus, all the stakeholders in the agreement can be awarded a level of access to data that’s appropriate and controllable.

The timing and details of a collaborative chain, plus any changes, are mapped out and accessible. This includes synchronicity that ensures sign off can only happen when all parties are looking at the most up to date version of the digital document.

In a nutshell, the chances of anyone signing an incorrect document due to an update error or amendment oversight becomes non-existent.

Managing agreements from end to end with cloud agreements

The most pressing reason for any organisation to move contract creation and sign-off online is to automate the whole process. What is not always fully appreciated, is the end to end control this provides, that extends its value beyond capturing an eSignature.

Transactions and verifications are securely captured and can then be accessed at any time in the future.

For example, if the digital document trail you’re interested in is a job offer and then a contract of employment, these can be revisited and analysed in a second, even though the appointment took place many years before.

Or, if you’re concerned an employee or supplier has breached a confidentiality agreement, you can check their obligations and any agreed penalties instantly. This ensures you can grapple with the ramifications quickly, and take action before the problem escalates.

That provides a degree of business control that is hard to replicate in many other document management systems.

There are also options for cloud agreements to be organised to give different involved parties customised levels of responsibility. This includes limiting agreement authors, making data shareable to a wider range of personnel and then creating a cascading sign-off system that ultimately reaches the primary decision-maker. All of this can be quick, integrated and auditable.

Long after, anyone with the right level of authority can view a wide range of data connected to this contract or other agreement, to analyse its evolution and staff involvement. This leaves no room for ambiguity or argument further down the line.

Modernising your system of agreement

With so much data flowing through digital workplaces, one of the potential problems is accessing the information you want, quickly.

Using a platform such as the DocuSign Agreement Cloud makes it much easier to create a document that forms the basis of an agreement, and make sure that all pertinent data is included. It also makes it much easier to revisit cloud agreements, due to its intuitive dashboard and searchability.

Think of it as a modern version of the “library” of contract or project paperwork, with the ability to direct you to the agreement document you need instantly. However, you can also interrogate it for the antecedence of the agreement, and any other relevant data that you need on that transaction or project sign-off.

Bringing agreements into the cloud

4C is confident that DocuSign’s contract management platform can streamline and automate your agreement processes, saving valuable time and money. It also eliminates many of the errors and ambiguities of traditional approval systems.

We think you would “agree”, this means its value is considerable, and its ability to capture eSignatures is just the “finishing touch”.

Author bio:

Jessica Stern Marketing Manager 4C

Jessica leads Marketing for the UK and Nordics at 4C. She joined in 2016, bringing experience from across the technology industry. She previously led UK Marketing for BounceX and prior to that worked at Oracle Marketing Cloud.

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