Improve Agreement Speed and Quality with Real-Time Data Verification

For someone electronically signing an agreement, the process is simple: fill out any necessary fields and click to sign. The whole process is over in minutes. However, for the organization that receives that signed agreement back, the work isn’t so simple. They need to make sure all of the information a signer provides is correct before it can be entered into their systems and acted on. 

That process often involves checking signer-entered data against multiple data sources to verify the information—phone numbers are registered, email addresses are reachable, bank accounts connect properly, etc. As the information gets more complex, the process of collecting and confirming it can compound into a serious headache. 

The best-case scenario is that the information is all accurate and validating it only adds one extra step to the agreement process. But that doesn’t always happen. Almost half (48%) of agreements sent for signature are returned with errors and missing data that can cause delays.

Today, we’re proud to announce Data Verification, a new feature to improve information collection in agreements sent with eSignature. It’s a powerful new tool that supports the applications in our intelligent agreement management portfolio. Data Verification will validate specific signer-provided data against trusted partner databases in real time to make sure no fields are skipped and no errors are made. The result is faster, simpler agreements with fewer manual steps and less time wasted redoing work because of mistakes.

What types of data can be verified? When Docusign IAM is available, our customers will be able to confirm proper entry of phone numbers, email addresses, U.S. and international mailing addresses, social security numbers, business entities, and bank account numbers.  Our Basic Data Verification capability can’t confirm that the data entered is connected to a specific signer, but it can verify that phone numbers are in service, email addresses are capable of receiving messages and that addresses exist on a map. Our Premium Data Verification capabilities take verification a step further and look for whether a bank account is open and valid, that SSN matches an individual in a government database and that business name and tax numbers match in a government database.

Data Verification offers Docusign customers a more seamless, secure data collection process that makes use of automation to improve the experience for agreement preparers and signers. It’s an easy way to increase the accuracy of signer information without losing visibility into agreement status or failing to withhold compliance standards. 

Below is a short list of some of the ways your team will benefit from Data Verification.

Complete transactions faster and with fewer steps

Instead of going back and forth with a signer until all their information can be confirmed, Data Verification will work like an automated assistant to securely validate data against external sources of your choosing. It will also give teams an option to prevent signers from submitting an agreement before correctly filling in all necessary fields. That means preparers see conversion rates go up and not-in-good-order rates go down. 

Reducing the need to conduct all the error-correcting steps involved in the current validation process, preparers and signers both get to their desired outcomes much faster. By improving the data entry process and accelerating validation, organizations can also create an agreement process with fewer steps. That can be a significant competitive advantage for potential customers and partners.

Reduce risk with validation from trusted data sources

When your agreements contain bad or incomplete data, there are multiple ways it could have harmful results. It may not be intentional, but when bad information enters your agreement ecosystem, there’s an increased risk of fraud, noncompliance or reputational damage. That’s especially true for teams operating in highly regulated industries like finance and insurance. The best defense is to correct the information at the point of entry.

Data Verification records evidence of data entry and data confirmation for each Docusign envelope. As data is entered by a signer and validated against trusted data sources, Docusign records those activities in a detailed audit log. When the process is finalized, a certificate of completion can be downloaded to specify which data points were entered at the time of signature and by whom, which sources verified that data, and when the events happened. The audit logs do not contain any of your personal identifiable information.

Remove manual setup steps for a fast, flexible deployment 

Historically, deploying data verification systems has involved difficult and labor-intensive steps. They offered the potential to save time with automation down the road, but all the manual effort and hours needed to set up the system canceled out those gains. 

The beauty of Data Verification is that it comes with out-of-the-box deployments for select preinstalled integrations. Our team has already built connections to the most critical external data sources (LexisNexis, Vonage, Veriff, GIACT, etc.) so your team can avoid wasting time on implementation. If you need to check data inputs against specific targeted lists that aren’t already supported, you still have the option to build an integration. We’ll also be adding to our list of preinstalled integrations in future releases.

Improve the signature experience for your customers

The benefits of real-time data verification aren’t reserved exclusively for the teams sending envelopes. Signers also see a faster turnaround on agreements and gain confidence knowing that the information they’re submitting won’t bounce back for another round of data entry. 

That streamlined experience can make a big upfront difference for prospective customers who are considering several options and are looking for a simple, modern agreement experience. Minimizing the time and effort required for agreement upkeep will also go a long way toward retaining existing customers.

Data Verification is one of the platform services available to Docusign IAM customers. Learn more about the other Docusign IAM platform services.