Lawyers: Use an iPad to Close the Deal

A reader e-mailed me the other day asking about solutions for getting documents signed using your iPhone. While I’ve tried one such product in the past, the question got me looking at what else is out there. I think the iPad is the natural platform for these products. While there is no emotional substitute for wet ink on paper at the end of a long transaction, many signatures are almost a formality and the iPad offers an opportunity to collect such signatures with little overhead. Expect to see the apps below and similar products more fully utilized on the iPad.

I looked at two products for this post – both of which I’ve used. For each, I gave them a quick run through with a focus on how these products might be deployed or extended on the iPad.

RightSignature. This SaaS product pairs with an iPhone app to provide “easy online document signing.” A user uploads documents for signature to the RightSignature website. From there, documents can be distributed, signed, monitored, and archived. While the iPhone app doesn’t allow management or distribution of documents for signature from the device, it does act as a digital signature pad, allowing you to obtain signatures while mobile.  The RightSignature online interface also allows users to create custom input fields on documents. RightSignature looks like it shines for users with high volume of contracts or users that need signatures on lots of different standardized forms. I used the free trial and found it easy to use (as did the recipients of contracts through RightSignature). They offer three different pricing models, with the first starting at $14 per month. RightSignature is a very powerful tool and for the right user could be indispensable – a full description of the service is beyond the scope of this post. For a full tour and explanation of benefits, check out the very informative RightSignature website.

RightSignature wrote on its blog the day the iPad was announced and spilled the beans about iPad development straight away:

You’re probably already thinking ahead, so we’ll spare you the drama and answer the big question. Not only will the RightSignature app be fully compatible with the iPad, it will thrive on this groundbreaking device. You’ll be able to have clients fill out and sign documents anywhere … in the lobby or waiting room, on a job site, or at a trade show. Imagine handing over your iPad and having a client sign with his finger on the vibrant 9.7-inch color screen. RightSignature on the iPad will satisfy a host of new use cases and has the potential to make the clipboard a thing of the past.

The image at right looks to be the RightSignature website in mobile Safari. While RightSignature has an iPhone app, its strength is in the SaaS application which one would expect to operate identically to its desktop companion. I think the size of the iPad is no accident and its parallels to a standard piece of paper make it a compelling device for document management. I’d expect people to consider using RightSignature on the iPad even more than on the iPhone because of this.  That said, I wonder if the pricing structure could benefit from a plan for the “occasional” user. Even though the web app is very powerful, many of its features aren’t needed for simple signings. If an iPad app is deployed, I’d like to see the core functionality of easy document review and signing brought to the fore with the document distribution and management tools pushed to the back or offered in more contextually appropriate places.

Zosh. Zosh is at its heart a pdf annotation tool that allows users to sign, annotate and deliver documents all from the iPhone. Zosh lacks some of the powerful document management features of RightSignature, but its iPhone application is much more powerful. More than just a signature pad, the Zosh iPhone application controls the entire process. Users set documents for signing through Zosh by emailing them to their Zosh account. Docs in your Zosh account appear on your iPhone library where they can be annotated, signed and delivered. Zosh’s strengths are many. Its iPhone app is soup to nuts document management and has the ability to add more than a signature to a document while on the go. It also supports a variety of document formats including .doc, .pdf, .xls, .ppt, .jpg, .png, .tif and .bmp. The gallery below gives hints as to the features of the $2.99 app. For more details, check out the Zosh website or iPhone J.D. for a full review.

I’ve not seen specific mention of an iPad specific version of Zosh though I’d be surprised if one isn’t already in the works. Of course, full screen document viewing will make the annotation and execution process much easier. The menu system will need a rewrite to take advantage of the iPad form factor, though I suspect we will see the screen split with library and tools to one side or available via contextual menu. I like the more robust annotation tools and I’d like more development in that area. I’d especially like to see integration with file storage services like Dropbox or MobileMe to avoid having to go through the Zosh servers. Zosh is terrific for a periodic need or where price is an issue.

Note a key difference in the core of these applications: RightSignature is at its core a SaaS product while Zosh is an iPhone/iPad app. The full page views and power of the online app through Mobile Safari will make RightSignature a compelling product. That said, one of the great things about Zosh is its simplicity and integration (a fortunate byproduct of good iPhone development). If redesigned for the iPad, I think Zosh may be a compelling tool and a terrific fit for many users. RightSignature on the other hand allows power without compromise through its full featured website through mobile Safari. How these products develop on the iPad might be an interesting test case for apps generally: is the better bet more robust SaaS development for use through mobile Safari or will lean and integrated iPad/iPhone apps with highly customizable interfaces be preferable to users?

What are you looking forward to?