So you’re considering DocuSign as your electronic signature tool? And you’re here because you want to know exactly what you’ll get.
Well, we’ve got answers.
In this article, we give a comprehensive answer to the question,”Is DocuSign worth it?” We’ll also explore whether or not a full-funnel alternative might be better for you.
Key Takeaways
- DocuSign plans start at $10/month and go up to $40/month (per user).
- DocuSign has all the features you would expect from an app dedicated exclusively to electronic signatures.
- The biggest advantage of DocuSign is its broad e-signature functionality.
- The biggest disadvantage is that many essential features are only available on the most expensive plan and it provides no additional sales or marketing functionality (beyond e-signatures).
- There are many other tools like DocuSign that offer the same features (and often more) at similar or better pricing.
- DocuSign is not a full-funnel, all-in-one solution with tools for prospect management, marketing, sales, and so on. You’ll need to pay extra to create documents in the platform (a feature that is only available as an add-on).
- An alternative like HighLevel provides you with a comprehensive set of tools to manage your sales, marketing, and administrative processes. HighLevel covers lead generation, online scheduling, proposals, invoices, reputation management, and more. You’ll also have a complete CRM to manage your leads and customers and get documents signed quickly.
DocuSign Pricing Plans: Quick Overview
- Personal: $15/month ($10/month if paid annually)
- Standard: $45/month per user ($25/month per user if paid annually)
- Business Pro: $65/month per user ($40/month per user if paid annually)
- Enhanced: Custom Pricing
We’ll look at whether the DocuSign cost levels are desirable, and if the platform provides good value for money, a little later. We’ll examine pricing in the context of all apps in your tech stack.
DocuSign Pros and Benefits
- Large set of e-signature and document management features: DocuSign provides extensive functionality for signing documents, including but not limited to document editing, notifications, and storing signed documents.
- Offers advanced and digital signature tools: DocuSign supports advanced digital signatures like AES (advanced electronic signature) and QES (qualified electronic signature).
- Available in multiple languages: DocuSign caters to a global audience by providing its platform and support materials in over 100 languages. An app for mobile devices is available. Keep in mind, however, that this does not necessarily mean your broader tech stack will be available in your chosen language.
- Strong compliance with global regulation: DocuSign is compliant with most relevant global legislation, including GDPR, eIDAS, and the US ESIGN Act.
- Lots of integrations: DocuSign has a large library of integrations with popular third-party applications, although some (Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and Netsuite) do require additional payments.
DocuSign Cons and Disadvantages
- Lower-tier plans don’t offer essential features: Even the DocuSign account with the highest publicly available pricing ($65/month per user) doesn’t include all features. They’re only available on tailored “Enhanced” plans, which are likely prohibitively expensive to small business owners. The DocuSign Agreement Cloud, which is a broader document management solution, includes more features but you’ll need to get in touch with sales to discuss pricing.
- Few document management features: You cannot create documents in DocuSign. You can only upload existing documents and add e-signature fields to them. For us, this was a big disadvantage. You have to pay for an add-on to access this functionality. If you’re looking for document management tools, an all-in-one solution like HighLevel is preferable.
- Point solution with few extras: DocuSign focuses on providing e-signature tools, with practically no features beyond this core offering, necessitating the use of additional apps for full-funnel management.
- Poor customer support: A significant number of negative reviews of DocuSign talk about poor customer service. While the “Enhanced” plan has 24/7 live customer support, the “Standard” support package offers only online case management with a response time of up to 24 hours.
Is DocuSign Right for Full-Funnel Marketing?
If you’re only looking for an e-signature solution, DocuSign is a good option. But if you’re open to a platform that allows you to manage documents in the context of your whole funnel, an alternative like HighLevel will be much more suited to you.
Integrating e-signature requests with your CRM, workflow automations, client nurture sequence, and invoicing system can lead to significant savings and increases in revenue.
Sign up for a free trial and take HighLevel’s full suite of advanced features for a test drive.
The Case for an All-In-One Solution with Electronic Signatures
It’s essential to look at the whole picture when thinking about your marketing and customer management.
Sending proposals and legal documents for e-signing is only one part of your sales funnel. You also need tools to generate and nurture leads, manage bookings and sales calls, and convert leads into happy, repeat customers (preferably who leave you great reviews).
Full-Funnel Document Signing
One option is to go down the route of building a tech stack, which includes a tool like DocuSign, made up of many different applications and pieces of computer software.
The alternative is an all-in-one solution like HighLevel that combines e-signatures seamlessly with all the functionality you need to manage your sales and admin processes.
Benefits of an All-In-One Approach
One benefit of this approach is that it speeds up your overall signing process, allowing you to manage a range of tasks in one place.
But it’s also important to think in terms of sales. Electronic signatures are a vital part of the sales cycle, signifying final approval of a proposal or contract.
Rooting your e-signature processes in broader marketing and sales activities enables you to maximize your number of closed deals.
This means you can send the right documents at the right time with the right follow-up.
What Extra Document-Management Features Does Highlevel Offer?
HighLevel includes a full set of document management tools in addition to basic e-signature functionality:
- Electronic signatures: Add e-signature fields to documents and forms with our simple drag-and-drop editor.
- Reusable templates: Create and reuse as many templates as you want in the document editor and reuse them.
- Integrated payments: Add payment options to your contracts and proposals to reduce friction for clients. This feature is only available on higher-tier plans on DocuSign.
- Contact management: DocuSign doesn’t offer contact management tools. But it’s important to sync your CRM with your document workflow so you know when to update and renew contracts.
- Follow-up automation: Follow up with clients across your whole funnel, ensuring clients take your most desired action. DocuSign offers automated notifications but not in a way that is tailored to prospects’ engagement and willingness to buy.
How Highlevel Helps You Take a Full-Funnel Approach to E-Signatures
E-signature requests don’t represent a standalone task. They constitute one cog in a much larger marketing and client management machine.
HighLevel enables you to take a full-funnel approach in the following ways:
- Create and track top-of-funnel documents like proposals: HighLevel allows you to draw on client data to create proposals, something you can’t do with DocuSign.
- Identify opportunities to renew contracts: HighLevel provides insights into your customers’ contract lifecycles, helping you pinpoint the perfect time for renewals.
- Enhance reporting to include payments and revenue: HighLevel integrates payment data for a comprehensive view of your financials alongside e-signature workflows.
- Automate sequences to trigger document sending: Send the right documents at the right time with funnel-sensitive automation.
- Full-funnel reporting: Track how many calls, appointments, pitches, and conversations turn into successful contracts, iterating and optimizing as needed.
Our Verdict: Is DocuSign Worth It?
DocuSign is a good product if you’re only looking for an electronic signature solution and nothing more.
However, it is worth considering whether or not a more comprehensive tool may be a better fit for your business.
DocuSign doesn’t provide anything in the way of pipeline and customer management, document generation, or broader workflow automations. All of which are essential for maximizing your rate of successful e-signature requests.
And integrating an array of tools into your tech stack isn’t merely time-consuming (often there are dozens to think about). It’s also extremely costly.
