The SMB’s compass to digitalization  

2 min

Updated on Sept 5, 2023

Published on Jul 6, 2022

How to sign a contract online?

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Pauline Dubois

Pauline Dubois

Content manager @Yousign

Illustration: Léa Coiffey

Summary

According to Fortune 1000, a company manages 20,000 to 40,000 contracts per year: a huge volume, especially when you think about it in terms of time and risks involved...

In the life cycle of a contract, signature-based validation is a key step in the contract process.

Our team further elaborates on this common question for you: “How do I sign a contract online?” 🤔

What is a contract?

First of all, let’s start over from the beginning : 

A contract is an agreement whereby one or more natural or legal persons undertake to give, to do or not to do something vis-à-vis someone. Legally speaking, a contract is formed from the moment an offer is accepted.”
This definition directly comes from our article on smart contract.

The contract is one of the most common and cross-cutting documents in the professional world, all business sectors combined, B2B and B2C alike.

Entering into a contract online: how does it work?

In real life, contracts are entered formally or informally into between the various stakeholders via a meeting of the contracting parties or their introduction.

The contract must therefore be drawn up in writing to formalise its terms and guarantee the contractual parties’ obligations on a legal basis.

What about online? 🧑‍💻

You can access the digital version of said contract. You need to scrupulously follow the same key steps as with a paper contract:

  • carefully read the terms of the contract in its entirety,
  • approve any consent clauses,
  • sometimes initial the pages of the contract,
  • lastly, the icing on the cake, sign the contract if you approve its content.

The (multiple) benefits of signing online

Businesses must be increasingly fast and agile in their contract processes.. 

Digitisation provides a number of tools, including in particular digital signature, that are valuable assets for all employees. Moreover, in light of the current climate, this guarantees business continuity for the companies that have taken the plunge
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In a nutshell, when you sign your contracts electronically:

  • You become an active player in digitisation: the entire contract process can be managed online, from the production to the signing and archiving of documents,
  • You can store your documents in a secure and traceable manner: the audit trails of each of your electronic signatures are archived online in a secure vault,
  • Your teams’ productivity is improved: by automating the processing of your signatures, you can monitor your workflows in real time,
  • You help your teams work better together,
  • You improve the user experience (the signatories to the contract) with smooth, simple and quality signature processes

What is the legal framework?

Signing electronically makes contractual processes easier and more secure!

Digital signature is subject to a precise legal framework, in Europe via the eIDAS regulation and in France via its transposition into articles 1366 and 1367 of the French civil code.

The eIDAS regulations standardise the rules for the use and legal recognition of the electronic signature processes of EU member countries.

Make sure that your electronic signature solution complies with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), that is to say that it guarantees the confidentiality of the documents and information processed and hosted on its servers and those of its subcontractors.

How do I sign a contract online with Yousign?

With its Saas mode, Yousign allows you to sign your contracts online from any device anywhere, with no need to download software, on the desktop or via the web app on your mobile phone.

Modus operandi when signing a contract online with Yousign:

Steps to sign an online contract with Yousign

  • 1 Log into Yousign 

    Log into Yousign 

    Log into Yousign 

  • 2 Download the contract

    Download the contract (pdf document)

    Download the contract (pdf document) from your computer or the Cloud

  • 3 Configure the contract

    Configure the contract

    Configure the contract by adding the required fields

  • 4 Add an attachment

    Add an attachment

    Add an attachment to the procedure if necessary

  • 5 Choose the signatories

    Choose the signatories

    Choose the signatories and indicate their contact details

  • 6 Click on “Send”

    Click on “Send” and Bob's your uncle !

    Click on “Send” and Bob's your uncle !

The signatories may or accept or dismiss the contract by clicking on “sign”: you will be informed of their actions in real time, as appropriate ⬇

For an optimal, seamless experience, we have what you need: a robust, effective API!

If you wish to find out more about its integration into your business software, don’t hesitate to visit our dedicated page!

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Optimise the life cycle of your contracts by doing away with the paperwork associated with the validation/signing phase and go for an effective digital solution.

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