Last Updated on April 14, 2024 by Rakesh Gupta

Big Idea or Enduring Question:

Integrating your signing processes with Salesforce enables you to automate the process, enhance security, and track the progress of signers within your CRM. The problem is that Salesforce does not have native signing solutions. This means that if you want to integrate your signing with the #1 CRM, you need to invest in custom development or shop around on the AppExchange for a robust third-party solution.

• Should you implement coding for signing with Salesforce? 
• Should you leverage a third-party signing solution?
• Do you need a tool that can create a Salesforce digital signature and Salesforce electronic signatures?

Objectives:

After reading this blog, you will have:

1. An understanding of the benefits of integrating electronic signature processes with Salesforce. 
2. Knowledge of the pros and cons of custom development.
3. Insight into the power of third-party solutions. 
4. An introduction to Titan Sign via a use case: W-9 Forms.

Business Use case

Keith Williams supervises vendor management and accounts at a medium-sized software company. Keith has employed a hardware vendor to supply all 50 of his employees with new laptops, keyboards, mice, and servers. To stay compliant and report all transactions to the IRS, Keith requires a W-9 Tax Form from the hardware vendor.

Keith is looking for a cost-effective and automated way to generate W-9 forms and send them to vendors to be filled in and signed. He knows that Salesforce is a great source of data and helps automate digital document signing but he doesn’t know how to implement this. After reading some Salesforce guides, he realizes that the CRM does not have native signing or document generation tools. Keith is wondering if he should hire developers to come up with a solution or leverage a third-party product from the AppExchange.

Salesforce e-Signatures Explained

We all know that digitizing your signature processes can save time and improve flexibility. Gone are the days when you needed to coordinate meetings between management and stakeholders to collaborate on documents, negotiate, and go through rounds of paper-based signing. In the digital era, we have the freedom to sign from anywhere we want in the world. This empowers businesses to push through deals faster and at a greater scale while saving money on in-person gatherings.

While many organizations have embraced digitization, there is still considerable debate on how to implement digital transformation. When it comes to signing, or any other business process, Salesforce comes out king by providing a single source of truth for all customer data. No other CRM on the planet has greater authority or power to automate all your business processes and provide personalized insights at scale. 

But there is no native Salesforce e-Signature app, so what are your options? One solid solution is to hire a team of crack developers to implement the integration between Salesforce and your signing processes. Development work will give you complete flexibility to execute custom projects. The only problem is that it is expensive, and requires both time and maintenance. If you have the budget and have factored in labor for this then go for it. If you are looking for a faster and simpler solution, you will need to consider alternatives.

We suggest shopping around on the AppExchange for a trusted third-party tool that integrates with Salesforce and does the heavy lifting for you. Below we break down some of the top features you should look for in a Salesforce e-signature solution.

What to look for in a Salesforce eSign Solution

1. We suggest choosing an e-signature solution that integrates seamlessly with document generation and CLM (Contract Lifecycle Management). Document generation, contract management, and signing processes go hand-in-hand so finding a platform that allows you to work with all these tools in synergy gives you the freedom to implement end-to-end business deals.
2. Look for a document signing app that requires no code to set up. Many signing solutions might market themselves as “low code”, but even small amounts of coding can add up and leave you with unwanted maintenance issues.
3. Ensure that you can trigger the signing process from any Salesforce object or automation (Salesforce Flow). This will give you the power to streamline signing processes and save hours of manual labor. You also want to be able to embed your signing in a Salesforce app, Experience Cloud, record pages, list views, or any other asset.
4.  A solid signing tool will enable you to configure dynamic templates that are generated with real-time Salesforce data. This means that even before the signing process starts your documents can be pre-filled with the most accurate information.
5. You also want the ability to be able to sign a file saved in Salesforce or upload a document from your local machine. Flexibility is key!
6. Working with a dynamic number of signers is a game-changer. Introduce new signers at any stage in the signing journey to cater to the changing needs of a contract or proposal.
7. You should work with a signing tool that enables you to leverage Salesforce data to ascertain the identity of your signers and use business logic to set the order of signing.
8. Go for secured signing! Salesforce itself meets the highest standard of compliance and you should select a tool that provides 2FA, SSO, and facial recognition. It is also a good idea to check it is compliant with all leading regulatory bodies such as HIPAA, SOC 2, and GDPR.
9. You should be able to track the entire signing journey in Salesforce. Make sure your signing tool enables you to view dates, times, IP addresses, and other crucial information on the signing process.
10. Working with conditional logic is a must! Salesforce’s rich source of data gives you the ability to implement conditional logic for unique signing journeys.
11. A robust electronic signature tool for Salesforce will also perform actions post-signing. Ensure that records are updated after signing is complete, that any relevant Flow can be triggered, and that the document can be saved in Salesforce.
    
12. Ensure your chosen tool enables you to work easily with digital or electronic signatures depending on your use case. Digital signatures work with cryptographic technology to determine the identity of signers and are necessary for specific business processes.

How Titan e-Signatures can help with W-9 Tax Forms

Now that we have learned more about e-signatures for Salesforce, let’s revisit the use case of Keith Williams, who wants to generate W-9 tax forms for his vendors and ensure they are signed securely. To implement this use case, we will leverage Titan for Salesforce.

Titan Sign meets all of the above criteria for e-signature software and integrates seamlessly with Titan Docs and CLM for end-to-end document solutions. As a no-code tool, Titan Sign’s superpower is being able to send data to Salesforce and pull it back in seconds.

After purchasing Titan Sign, Keith can ensure W-9 forms are signed efficiently and seamlessly.

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Keith starts by downloading the W-9 Tax Form template.
2. Keith can easily set up a fillable PDF by simply dragging and dropping fields onto the downloaded W-9 Tax Form.
3. Next, Keith triggers this form in his Salesforce with a simple button. It is then sent to the vendor’s email for signing.
4. As soon as the vendor opens the document via email, it says “viewed” in Salesforce. Keith is also able to view important information such as the date and time at which the document was opened.
5. From the vendor’s perspective, it is easy to fill in the form. Some details are pre-filled from Salesforce, specific fields such as checkboxes can be easily selected, and other information can be filled in using free text.
6. The vendor is then able to sign the form by drawing, uploading, selecting, or typing an electronic signature.
7. Once the W-9 form is completed and signed, Keith is notified and he can view this information under Titan Sign tracking in Salesforce:
8. In the record this signing process was triggered from, Keith will be able to view the signed PDF along with a complete tracking log, including IP information:

Business Use Case: Results

1. Keith can trigger the signing process from anywhere and any object in Salesforce.
2. He didn’t have to implement any coding or development to generate a W-9 tax form with dynamic and interactive fields.
3. Keith tracked the entire signing process in Salesforce and viewed updates in the signing journey in live time.
4. He now saves 40 – 60 hours a month by implementing signing processes for W-9 tax forms at scale.
5. Keith no longer has to create duplicate W-9 templates because Titan’s dynamic signee functionality enables him to determine the identity and number of signers in real time.
6. Vendors have reported enhanced experience as they can fill in tax forms quickly using pre-filled and selectable fields.
7. Keith has peace of mind that all signing records are secure and transparent.
8. Keith can access management’s view of the signing process via out-of-the-box dashboards and reports.
9. Relevant Salesforce records are updated automatically for Keith once the signing is complete.

Proof of Concept

Check out this PDF of a Signed W9 form which contains dynamic and interactive fields integrated with Salesforce:

You can also check out this fillable PDF to see how easy it is to fill and sign documents electronically with Titan combined with the power of Salesforce:

This feature allows you to create and send out fillable PDFs seamlessly integrated with Salesforce. In this video, you can see how a fillable PDF is created and configured. The process can be fully automated using Salesforce Flow. With this feature, you can easily collect and manage data in Salesforce. 

Learn More About Titan! 

The Titan platform is a suite of zero code products for Salesforce that help you speed up time to market, slash expenses, and create your dream projects in minutes instead of days and weeks. If you liked learning about Titan Docs in this article, check out some of its strongest features:

• Make templates and generate docs using point-and-click tools.
• Fully dynamic docs: get data from Salesforce and send it back in real time.
• Work with any custom or standard Salesforce object.
• Include repeatable and dynamic tables and sections in your document. 
• Trigger document generation from within Flow or Apex.
• Bulk document generation.
• Work with any format.
• Use Titan’s Word Add-In, Excel Add-In, and PDF mapping to create templates easily. 
• Integrate effortlessly with Titan Sign and CLM for end-to-end document management. 
• Compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2, and all other leading regulatory frameworks.

Formative Assessment:

I want to hear from you!

What is one thing you learned from this post? How do you envision applying this new knowledge in the real world? Feel free to share in the comments below.