Hi-Trans Express looks to a seamless and digitised future
In February 2021, after several internal discussions and a recognised need for automation, Hi-Trans Express decided to trade its long-time paper-based systems for DocuSign.
“The most important element for us was automation,” explains Lloyd Jones, the company’s General Manager of Information Technology.
Servicing small to large businesses, the transport company has expanded from its Adelaide home base to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney– now operating across Australia in metro and regional areas.
Introducing DocuSign’s eSignature platform has helped the business with several pain points, including digitising its sales quotations, rate cards, credit applications and the terms and conditions. Hi-Trans has also set up templates for position change request forms.
This automation allows for employees who are moving into a different role to sign the required documents digitally. The software has also helped streamline employee hire forms and travel authority documentation.
A time saviour
“We have anywhere between 15 to 20 quotes going out per week. The turnaround time of a quote going to the customer, being signed off and coming back, is now less than a week,” says Lloyd. “It takes three to four days, with some quotes even coming back within hours.”
Lloyd shares how the first DocuSign document got sent to a customer at lunchtime, and it came back at 2pm that same day. The account was all ready for Monday. “We would never have done that before,” he says. “That’s one of the biggest changes for us.”
User-friendly
Although the foreignness of the platform was initially a challenge for employees who prefer to do things manually, they quickly saw the time-saving benefits.
“There were many people that were unsure because it was completely different,” says Lloyd. “There was also the legal aspect. But, thankfully, DocuSign has the Australian legal documents integrated.”
Once Lloyd explained how to use DocuSign to the team, they were surprised by its ease of use. “Seeing it in action, completely changed their mindset. They embraced it very well,” he says.
Customers and clients have provided only positive feedback since using the platform. The salespeople, particularly, have embraced it. They can now finish the conversation with a customer, go to their car, open their laptop and send the quote within an hour.
“It’s a much simpler process,” says Lloyd. “This has by far been the best project that we’ve introduced internally for quite some time.”
He adds how there is at times a fear of change, but everyone across the board has welcomed the technology.
Stepping into a digitised future
DocuSign has also helped the business drastically reduce its use of printed paper. Before, clients would often receive quotes that were 30 pages long.
“A lot of the internal documents, including our new employee approval forms, are being signed by the CEO as he’s flying out,” says Lloyd. “DocuSign allows you to see the paperwork from your phone, anytime and from anywhere.”
The technology has also helped Hi-Trans to level up in the world of transportation services and has raised its customer conversion rates.
Lloyd shares that partnering with DocuSign has let the business provide seamless solutions and be a contender in the highly competitive sector.
“DocuSign has been a godsend. It has allowed us to automate mundane and time-consuming processes in a way that we never thought possible. It’s only the beginning of our relationship with DocuSign, and we’re in it for the long run,” says Lloyd