I LOVE Docusign and E-Signatures
I absolutely love how easy e-signatures have gotten. I never thought I’d be comfortable with it given the highly compliant and regulated industry that I’m in. Although 2020 was a rough year for several, it really helped push some of these pre-historic industry into the 21st century.
The insurance industry is old and their procedures and regulations are just about as old as the industry itself. There have been promises that better more streamlined processes are coming, but they are very slow to move. I visualize the insurance industry like a manatee, big and slow. 2020 was the year though, that really gave some industries a shot in the arm (Vaccine pun intended). Since March, I have been able to streamline my process with Docusign and other electronic signature tools. Providing the certificate of authenticity is a little extra step to stay compliant but it is so worth it when you don’t have to track down a client, or a printer, or a scanner.
And lets be honest, how is a wet signature any more secure than an e-signature. There’s no history, there’s no trail. One reason I love Docusign is how easy it makes it for the client. I’m not always dealing with a client that is technologically sound. Sometimes I have a hard time getting an email out of them. But at least once they have gotten the email, the docusign completed document is not far behind.
Although I run my business primarily out of Saint John now, a small city on the East Coast of Canada, my clients are all over. Some rural, some on islands, some literally in the woods. This tool helps me and my clients tremendously. It actually makes the client feel important that someone is willing to deal with them, even though they are so far off the beaten path. I never thought that working remotely with clients would make them feel better served. This has been a very nice result of 2020 that I was certainly not expecting.
Therefore, if anyone is thinking about insurance, now is the easiest time to apply. With e-signatures, relaxed underwriting requirements, and also some of the best premium values in over a decade, there’s no reason not to investigate if a new policy would be good for your family or business.
Written by: Jeff Scammell, Financial Advisor & Owner, JDS Financial Planning Inc.