DocuSign® is a platform for collecting signatures on documents. It’s a tool that allows you to provide an electronic signature from anywhere, anytime, from any device with Internet access.
What else is worth knowing about it?

A few words about DocuSign®

DocuSign® is cloud-based software. This means that files, once uploaded to the platform, stay on the platform and are always available to anyone who has signed documents. This is very important if you care about having unlimited access to previously signed documents. Thanks to DocuSign® while being anywhere in the world, in a few moments you will be able to go back to the agreement signed a year earlier.

The DocuSign® platform is a global standard. It is available in 189 countries and 48 languages, and is already used by 40 million users. The numbers speak for themselves – DocuSign® is a trustworthy and secure tool, appreciated by companies around the world. It is the only electronic signature provider that is certified: ISO 27001; SSAE16, PCI DSS 2.0, TRUSTe, SafeHarbor, HIPPA.

What can you use DocuSign® for?

It’s hard to list all the uses of DocuSign®. Let’s start with the fact that the platform allows you to sign documents with both electronic signatures and qualified signatures, regardless of their provider (qualified signatures are currently provided by companies: Asseco Data Systems S.A., Enigma SOI, EuroCert Sp. z o.o., Krajowa Izba Rozliczeniowa S.A., Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych S.A.).

The platform is used in sales (contract management), finance (approval of audit results, approval of investments), IT (change requests, signing of acceptance reports) or management (sending orders, framework agreements), among others.

Employment contracts require the employer to sign with a qualified signature. The Labor Code does not require an employee to sign with a qualified signature. This makes the DocuSign® platform ideal for entering into employment contracts or contract amendments. In DocuSign®, we indicate that the boss should sign with his qualified signature and the employee should provide a “regular” electronic signature. Since signing in the DocuSign® platform is free for everyone, the employee can use a DocuSign® non-qualified signature, which he or she will set up when signing for the first time.

However, there are several types of documents where the use of DocuSign® is not possible. These include:

• Signing documents via ePAUP is not possible within the DocuSign platform.
• Financial reports – signing these types of documents with DocuSign® is not possible, as the platform does not support the XadES signature format and does not allow signing XML versions of financial reports.

Licensing methods

DocuSign® provides two licensing options. However, before we discuss them in detail, we need to clarify what is meant by the term envelope within the DocuSign® platform. Imagine a traditional letter that you send through the mail. Let’s say you want to send a contractor a contract to sign. What do you do? You prepare the contract and attachments, put it in an envelope and send it by courier. Within DocuSign®, you prepare the same envelope with the contents, only that it’s virtual. And what is the difference between the platform and traditional mailing? With DocuSign®, one envelope can be sent to many people at once. With traditional mailing, if the people whose signatures are to appear on the document live in different places, you will have to pay several times for the postage.

Returning to licensing methods – DocuSign® provides two options:

• User license – this type of license assumes payment for a user account, within which he can use up to 100 envelopes. This is a good choice if few people will use the platform. Importantly, in DocuSign®, the fees apply only to people who send a document for signing. Recipients who only sign the document do not pay for access to the platform. You can purchase a license directly from DocuSign®, for max. 3 users. Want to purchase a license for more users? Contact your DocuSign® partner.
• License for the number of envelopes – in this case, the number of users using the platform is arbitrary – what matters is the number of envelopes that will be used per year. The smallest package assumes the use of 500 envelopes in 12 months. If during the course you find that there are not enough envelopes, you can buy more. If the envelopes remain unused at the end of the year, they are forfeited – there is no possibility to use them in the following year

Note: If an estimated 500 documents are processed annually in your company, the number of envelopes within DocuSign®, should be doubled. Why? Let’s go back to the comparison with traditional mail. If a contractor, upon receiving a contract, finds errors in it, you will have to correct the document, once again put it in an envelope and send it. This process within the platform is done similarly. Sending a contract correction = new envelope used. You can only purchase envelope packages directly from a DocuSign® partner. The minimum order is 500 envelopes.

DocuSign® is a platform that has hundreds of applications, but it also has some limitations that you should be aware of before you make the final decision to purchase a license. We hope our brief guide to DocuSign® has helped you make sure it’s a tool worth implementing into your business. Have more questions? Feel free to contact us.

Considering implementing electronic signatures?
Compare Autenti® and DocuSign®, and choose the best tool for you. We have prepared a special Trial Workshop service, where you will test electronic signatures and document archiving methods. In addition, our consultant will help you better understand the dependencies between these systems and select the right tool.