DocuSign Implementation with an Example

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Almost all projects involving two or more parties use some or the other form of consent based on a document, which is to be agreed upon by all parties. Some have a common T&C page and an “I Agree” button, whereas others could have something more sophisticated. In this article, use of eSignature tool DocuSign is described.

An eSignature is “an electronic indication of intent to agree to or approve the contents of a document.” It is, quite literally, your signature in an electronic format.

Business Use Case: Contract Creation in ERP

We were making an Enterprise Resource Planning Software, or ERP for a client.

Their platform allowed Service Providers to offer their services to customers via our client’s portal.

We were to provide a contract-like feature on which both parties needed to sign before the service providers could start offering services to the client.
Similar feature was required when a new service provider registered on the platform (contract between ERP and the service provider).
There were multiple plans which a service provider could subscribe to, which determined the number of clients each service provider could add. While upgrading the plan, the service provider would have to sign another contract.
Also the client wanted that the respective service started as soon as the concerned parties signed the contract.

Options Available

Use pen and paper contracts: They were ruled out as the parties resided in different parts of the world, and pen and paper would just take a lot of time for processing.
Use Terms and Conditions page and Agree button: This option was on the table but the client preferred a better way. They wanted it to be legal. Most people just see the page and hit Agree. Client wanted the signing party to treat it like a legal contract and read every clause, terms of usage, financials etc.
Using esignature: Finally esignature option was proposed. It met the speed, ease of usage and legality criterion.

Implementation

Implementation Concepts

Envelope	It is an entity which is like a wrapper. Each envelope, like it’s physical counterpart, could have multiple documents inside it. Each envelope is issued an unique Envelope Id by DocuSign which can then be used to check the status of the envelope.
Document	Inside an envelope there are documents. They could be of PDF, docx or image files. They had the terms and conditions and the location for the sign.
Signer / Signatories	Each document could have a single signer or multiple signatories.
SignPosition	Sign Position is an implementation concept , which basically gives the coordinates of the location where the signatories are expected to sign. Sign position could be predefined or could be left upon the user to choose.
Recipient Order	In case of multiple signatories, there were two possibilities. When each signer was allowed to randomly sign the document. Another was when there was a predefined order in which documents could be signed. Such as, the team leader signed first, then the project manager and the CEO.
Webhook (Call-back URL)	Each envelope could be given a call back URL on which DocuSign could send data once some event happened, such as if the envelope was opened, document was signed or was rejected. This comes in handy when a database is needed to be updated on change of status.
Envelope Event Codes	Event codes for envelope were used to determine the status of the envelope. Like when the envelope was created, the status would be CREATED, when sent it would be SENT, when all signers had signed it would be COMPLETED. Other statuses can be checked on the DocuSign website.

Docusign Usage Modes

There were multiple modes in which we could have integrated DocuSign:

DocuSign Web App use : DocuSign is created, sent and signed on the website itself. It is easy to use and integrate. Useful for small projects and businesses with less number of users.
In-App Integration (SOAP and REST APIs ): Using API and doing it from the backend. It gives a link, which on click redirects the user to the DocuSign platform where the document can be seen and signed.

We chose to go forward with the In-App integration approach as manually creating, sending and keeping track of many users was not viable.

Solution Design

For the contract between service provider and the platform, we chose to do it on registration. Upon registration, an email with the document signing link would be sent to the signing party. The signing party can then open the link on which they found the document. They could read the document and then sign it.
On signing, the DocuSign would hit up our website’s call back URL with the data. Data would be verified on our end and the related database changes would be made and then the registration was said to be completed and the service provider would be able to use the platform.
Similar approaches were followed for other use cases in the project.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is an e-signature?

An eSignature is “an electronic indication of intent to agree to or approve the contents of a document.” It is, quite literally, your signature in an electronic format.

Why is eSignature better than pen and paper contracts?

Reduced postage, shipping, paper and printing costs
Reduced process cycle time
Reduced or avoided personnel costs
Faster completion of business agreements
Customer convenience
Improved ability to audit processes and transactions for compliance and non-repudiation
Green Earth

Why Choose DocuSign ?

DocuSign, the leading electronic signature solution with over 25 million users, speeds up the turn-around time on any business transaction that requires a signature.
Documents are legally binding.
Documents are encrypted. They’re more secure than paper.
Maintains a complete audit trail of every signature transaction.
There is no software to install.

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Why is DocuSign Preferable for Developers?

Easy concepts
Good Documentation
SDK available for multiple programming languages
Robust APIs
Ample Examples
Free sandbox accounts
Good support

Is DocuSign Legal?

Legally binding (in most countries, including the United States)
Can be used for a wide range of legal documents, including contracts, NDAs, permission slips, bank documents, etc.