Transforming the workplace
We look at the ways in which communication has been digitised and why the business world is saying goodbye to paper.
Businesses used to rely on paper documents and filing systems not that long ago, and this caused some serious issues from the organization, storage, and legal perspectives. The modern way in which we have moved to paperless documents comes with many benefits.
The benefits, other than the obvious reduction of waste for the environment, include aspects like time savings, faster turnaround times, better customer experiences, and cost savings. Following the pandemic, many businesses reported accelerating their adoption of digital management tools and end-to-end workflows, reflecting the ways that these improved their business during a time in which many had no other option.
Interestingly the Forrester State of Systems of Agreement Survey in 2020, commissioned by DocuSign, found businesses still had manual processes in place, with 32% of decision-makers responding that manual agreement processes cause inefficiency. In comparison, the same company produced the Forrester Consulting State of Systems of Agreement Survey 2021, a year later and found that 96% of decision-makers said they would continue to use new technology implemented during the pandemic.
Companies must maximize productivity and collaboration in an all-digital, work-from-anywhere world to ensure that they keep up with the transforming work of business communication. Salesforce and Slack lead the way, enabling organizations to build their digital HQ by improving employee collaboration both internally and externally with customers and partners.
Slack now has an integration with DocuSign which aims to accelerate the agreement collaboration process for customers directly within the Slack platform. This system notifies teams on agreement progress and action items, enabling them to work quickly to review, edit, monitor, and execute agreements, without ever leaving their digital HQ.
DocuSign has also paired with Salesforce on its billing, CPQ Plus service, and Salesforce field service. Together these allow customers the ability to perform many tasks themselves which otherwise would have delayed companies’ daily workflows if they were done manually.
Another company that would be important to mention is Zoom and its well-known video conferencing platform. The Zoom digital meetings became a service many businesses became reliant on over the pandemic and its recent partnership with DocuSign saw the creation of the ability to use e-signatures on this platform. This removes the need to print out, sign, scan, and send back documents. Instead, streamlining the process and allowing business leaders to sign documents whilst face-to-face with one another on the video call, increasing that sense of trust and partnership that is often needed in these situations.
“Employees don’t want to spend their days toggling between countless apps and emails, especially when working with customers or partners. They want tools that streamline workflows and easily enable them to connect and collaborate. We’re excited about DocuSign eSignature for Zoom as it allows stakeholders to review agreements together in real-time before signing, helping eliminate communication silos and accelerate the completion of agreements.”
Ross Mayfield, Product Lead, Zoom Apps & Integrations
In order for businesses to keep up with the transforming workplace, there is a need to consider the digital tools required and the manner in which these improve efficiency, remove waste and the costs of paper use, and support the hybrid environment that has become so necessary in recent years.
Jerome Levadoux, SVP of Sign, DocuSign commented on this subject saying
“The past few years have highlighted the need for agility and better productivity tools to meet the evolving needs of customers”
Jerome Levadoux, SVP of Sign, DocuSign
There is no denying that the way we work has fundamentally changed over the last 2 years. Employees are now working remotely and flexibly, processes have been digitised and the reliance on physical infrastructure like an office has been reduced. For many organisations, there is no turning back and they continue to invest in new, innovative, and efficient processes that help them embrace the future of work.
