Managing Multiple Teams in Mobile eSignature Workflows

Companies with various departments, multiple locations, or project teams may find themselves in need of a reliable system for collaboration involving electronic documents. While HR will take care of onboarding new employees, salespeople will sign up customers with agreements, and finance will be dealing with approvals. When all those processes intersect, conflicting responsibilities and different document policies may cause problems and delays. Learning how to manage multiple teams ios is important for organizations that use mobile phones to manage the e-signature process.

Why Multi-Team Document Management Matters

In addition to those two participants, managers may need to approve documents, administrators may need to develop templates, and staff members in various departments may need to track completion. Without clear roles and responsibilities, there is a possibility that documents will be sent to incorrect participants and that processes will be conducted differently in different departments.

A structured process will help the organization to define who prepares the documents, who can send them for signing, and who tracks the outstanding requests. Employees will know what to do when a process stops somewhere. Mobile access becomes very important in cases when the team of employees works remotely and needs to check the document.

Establishing Clear Team Roles and Permissions

Prior to setting up teams within an electronic signature solution, determine the tasks the teams will perform. The sales representative may need to sign off on customer agreements, whereas the finance manager might need to sign payment agreements. There might be an HR representative managing onboarding agreements that should not be visible to other departments.

Define Responsibilities Before Assigning Access

Set up a straightforward system of responsibilities for every workflow. Figure out who owns the process, who prepares the documents, who has the right to send the documents for signing, and who is responsible for follow-ups. Try to separate administrative access to documents from regular access where it is possible according to the platform and the company’s policy.

Some of the initial steps include:

• Determining the business objectives of each team.
• Appointing an employee responsible for document workflow.
• Determine who can prepare, send, review, and manage documents.
• Restricting the access to information needed for each of the roles.
• Creating a process for adding and excluding team members.
• Checking permissions on position changes and staff departures.

This way, you will be able to create a good starting point before your teams start exchanging the documents. In addition, you will simplify the investigation of any mistakes since each step in the process has its responsible person.

Coordinating Teams Through Mobile Devices

Mobile access can be of assistance for employees who need to continue document workflow while they are with the customer, operate at different locations, or move between appointments. For instance, a real estate agent might have to refer to an agreement while he is with his client, while the regional manager might need to look at a document that needs approval.

If you manage teams using an iPhone or iPad, your employees need to know what tasks can be performed via mobile access and what other access methods should be used. Don’t make assumptions about what administrative settings can be managed from a particular device. Determine the control set available in the present product version.

Also, mobile workflows require proper communication within the team, namely, the knowledge of where the document is, what has to be done, and who will be responsible for any requests that cannot be fulfilled. Thus, mobile access won’t create additional confusion.

Applying Team Management to Everyday Business Processes

Different departments need different types of documents, and thus the teams’ structure should depend on the process, rather than the organizational chart.

Human Resources and Onboarding

In HR teams, workflow coordination could help manage offer letters, policy acknowledgements, and employment forms. In addition, having a workflow enables HR to organize their documents and understand what they have done and what is still to be done. Access to the files should be granted only to people who need that particular information.

Sales and Customer Agreements

Often, representatives work with customers in different territories. Thus, clearly stated responsibilities will enable sales representatives to provide the right agreement, send it to the correct person, and track incomplete requests. Managers from the sales team may need to see the progress, but this does not mean that they need to see the content of each document.

Finance and Legal Operations

In finance, payment approvals, service agreements, or even vendor documentation may be managed. Legal department may review the contracts and associated documents. For both teams, it will be useful to define who needs to do what and to have document names set up.

Standardizing Document Templates and Procedures

There could be inconsistencies in wording, fields, and versions if multiple groups design their own documents. Templates allow the use of pre-approved documents, instead of developing the same documents repeatedly for each transaction.

The process for creating a useful template involves the following: Owner, Version name, Review frequency. Whenever there is a change in the form, make sure that the required version is communicated and the other versions are retired based on your company’s policy. Also, let your employees know if they are allowed to customize the template themselves, or if they need an administrator’s permission to make the changes.

Standardization does not mean that there cannot be any legitimate differences in transactions. There can be situations where a contract needs certain requirements for a specific customer.

Monitoring Progress and Resolving Workflow Delays

Coordinating efforts is not complete until the document is delivered. It will be necessary for someone to be aware of how outstanding requests are handled and what to do when the signer does not respond. Otherwise, there may be duplicated requests or assumptions that another department is responsible.

Develop a system for checking on the status of the documents and who will be responsible for sending reminders. Where there is an outstanding request, start by finding out the cause. The signer could require explanation, correction, or reminder. In case the document was sent to the wrong person, the responsible department should follow the procedure for doing corrections.

Consistent review of the reasons for delay will point at deeper causes. Where one department keeps on sending documents that have problems, preparation assistance would be better than sending more reminders.

Security and Compliance Across Teams

Several groups might deal with sensitive information such as personal, financial, employment, or health information. Thus, the access must be aligned to the duties of the respective employee. The department cannot have unlimited access just due to the fact that its staff belongs to the same company.

The security options provided by signNow are TLS 1.2/1.3 data transfer encryption, AES-256 encryption at rest, audit logs, and two-factor authentication. Organizations should make sure that the provided control options meet their needs and policies rather than think that some feature will guarantee compliance automatically.

From the perspective of law, U.S. companies should consider the ESIGN Act and UETA when working with electronic signatures. In the case of healthcare, organizations should pay attention to the obligations related to HIPAA and possible agreements with third parties.

Improving Multi-Team Workflows Over Time

An organization’s team management process needs to be re-assessed whenever the organization undergoes changes such as new department formation, the departure of any employee, change in approval policies and change in forms. This will enable organizations to ensure that access rights are properly assigned.

Organizations can also conduct surveys from those employees who prepare and send documents. Frequent queries from employees suggest that there is lack of clarity in instructions while frequent errors suggest that there are confusions regarding the templates and approval process. This will enable organizations to refine the process.

Combining ownership, permissions, templates and regular monitoring would be the best strategy and mobile access would fit in well with this strategy, but only if the employees know the scope of their permissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does managing multiple teams mean in an eSignature workflow?

This refers to arranging those people and duties that are involved in the processes of preparing electronic documents among different departments. The teams should be aware of who prepares these documents, who sends them for signing, who signs them, and who follows up on whether they have been signed or not.

Why is team management important for mobile document workflows?

Despite the ability of mobile workflow for performing tasks without using the desktop, clear roles and responsibilities are required. Well-defined processes will enable individuals to know what to do and where to escalate their issues. It is essential for companies to check whether team management capabilities are available on their existing mobile app.

How should businesses assign document access to different teams?

Begin by understanding what the purpose of each process is and what information is required for each job position. Provide access for employees based on their roles and define who will be able to create, send, approve, or manage documents.

How can organizations prevent document errors across departments?

Utilize approved templates, appropriate naming, and a review process prior to submitting any documents. Establish responsibilities for updates, and ensure proper communication about changes to the template. It is the responsibility of employees to check the recipients, document version number, and fields requiring signatures to avoid mistakes.

What security issues should businesses consider when managing several teams?

The company has to restrict the access to authorized individuals, check the authorization on a regular basis, and apply certain regulations to document storage and exchange. Security measures such as encryption, audits, and two-factor authentication can be used in the security strategy; however, there have to be other considerations as well.