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E-Signatures -- Wassup?

john.quinn

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Dec 2, 2009
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Howdy Hi There Friends & Neighbors!

What (if anything) are you doing with E-signatures these days? Been poking around, and it seems like solutions are fragmented and all over the place (shocking... I know ;).

Anybody have a good workflow?

Bad workflow?
 
So far, I've found 5 workflow delivery methods for e-signatures; Digital Retailing is one of them. (Along with DMS, CRM, F&I Portal and Dealer-Direct/stand alone).

E-Signatures can be a component of Digital Retailing, but don't need to be.

I'm simply talking about the ability to get all the paper needed to deliver a car (or there seems to be a use case for getting RO's signed outside the Lane too) done electronically.

Instead of dropping-off a deal jacket on someone's front porch for "contactless delivery," sending an email to the consumer where they click and open a portal to safely, securely "sign" their documents. Digital Deal Jacket & Signatures.
 
I have been spending the last couple weeks trying to finalize a number of pieces of this puzzle in-house.
We're now talking to vendors about which digital signature solution is going to cost the least (they're surprisingly expensive).

What we've built is pretty specific to the client we built it for, but it takes the deal from start to finish and let me tell you... I have a whole new appreciation for car deals. That said, the reason I'm building this is because the client couldn't find a solution that adequately, securely and efficiently tracked the whole process.

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The short answer, no one does this well. Those that do it, haven't made it as easy as it could be, and it's probably fragmented across systems. If you want to do it right, start with the end result and work backwards.

  • For a dealer, the end result is getting funded for a deal.
  • Getting funded, means you have all the correct forms and additional documentation you need for a deal (documentation meaning requirements for the state, or for funding purposes, or for OEM purposes, etc.)
  • Getting the right forms and documentation for a deal is actually pretty complex. They can vary by inventory type( new / used / cpo), deal type (cash, finance, lease), by manufacturer, by location (in state / out of state), and by lenders. Often times, these forms and documentation reside in multiple platforms (CRM, DMS, Menu, and Funding Platform (DT or RouteOne).
  • Once you have a system that accounts for all the forms and documentation you need, for each type of deal scenario above, then you have to make sure they are programmed correctly. Single Buyer, Joint Buyer / CoBuyer, Joint Buyer / CoBuyer being title in just Cobuyer's name, etc. etc.
  • In the 21st century, you shouldn't have to input all this in from scratch. If data is in other systems, the data should all push in.
  • The signing ceremony should offer the ability to sign electronically both in person, as well as remotely. And if it's remotely, it should offer the ability to sign on either a smartphone, tablet or desktop. That means the ability to either text message a link or email a link to the customer.
  • Ideally, all document signing should be done together. But this is difficult because of lender requirements. Most likely, there will be 2 signings, 1 for the bank or lease contract (on DT or Route 1), and the other signing will be for everything else.
  • When the signing is completed, you now have a complete deal jacket, that has EVERYTHING that needs to be there. So there's your funding packet to send off to get paid, and there is your complete deal jacket for the title office.
Hopefully that all makes sense.
Now please, someone go make this happen.
 
The short answer, no one does this well. Those that do it, haven't made it as easy as it could be, and it's probably fragmented across systems. If you want to do it right, start with the end result and work backwards.
What he said.
Great list and essentially the process we had to go through, with many bumps and learning curves along the way.

The number of documents, signatures and "If this, then that" logic is a bit overwhelming at first.
 
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@john.quinn Buddy of mine in Ohio is starting up this process as we speak to do the dealership all paperless. He is doing a virtual meeting with the customer as he is sending the documents thru Darwin for the interaction with the customer. I understand Dealertrack also has some functionality of Esigning as well. In Ohio though, you still need 4 wet signatures. If you are looking for a solution that I can hook you up with, just DM me.
 
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