Collaborating with Multiple Parties on a Document

Middlepost Docs has a unique feature allowing multiple people to collaborate and stay informed about a document. When you start a document, you can add as many people as you want by entering their email addresses in specific roles. The roles are as follows:

• Signers - these people must sign the document to complete it.
  
• Approvers - these people must approve the document to complete it.
  
• Observers - observers are not required to take any action, but can still view the document, make comments and monitor progress.

More people can be added to a document at a later date if required.

Traditionally, keeping everybody involved with a document on the same page has been a difficult, chaotic process. Take, for example, a simple process of a sales person trying to complete a contract. The customer receives a standard company contract from the sales person requesting a signature. The customer reads the document and then sends a message to the sales person requesting a few paragraphs to be changed. The sales person then forwards the response to a lawyer who in turn changes the paragraphs and sends it back to the sales person, who then forwards it back to the customer. The customer forwards it to their signing authority for further review. This process might go back and forth over many different emails. Eventually the customer receives the final document which they have accepted and agreed to sign. Finally, they print out the contract, sign it, and fax it to the sales person or drops it in a Fedex package.

In contrast to mailing back and forth in dispersed communications, Middlepost Docs keeps everything related to a document in a single place. The benefits of this method are quite obvious, as everybody involved in the contract has complete visibility into the entire process. Every document has the current document status along with a history log that tracks all revisions (changes) to the document so all users know exactly what has happened with the document and old revisions can easily be viewed. The log also keeps all the communications and actions performed on the document such as signing and approving. In addition, email notifications are sent out to all involved whenever an activity occurs on a document.

The end result is a quicker, simpler process and a much happier customer.

Going Paperless

Have you ever wondered why people still use paper in the workplace? When you come into work, do you pull out a typewriter and get a bundle of paper out, preparing for your long day of typing up TPS reports? How often do you check your little mail cubby hole, weekly, monthly?

The answer to these questions seem fairly obvious. The reality is that people no longer rely on paper in day to day life. They might get paper in their mailbox. They might take notes on paper and then transcribe them onto Microsoft Word. But they do not rely on paper. Paper is now the exception. Email is now the normal mode of communication. Computers create and store files.

But then why do people still jam stacks of paper into file cabinets? Is a filing cabinet safer than a server backed up with redundant storage? No. And why is there a stack of paper on your desk? The simple answer: the signature.

People print documents so that they can sign them.

But that is all going to change. The eSign Act of 2000 made electronic signatures the equivalent of a written signature. And, in time, there will not be a need to print another piece of paper. This will of course take time. But, how many times a day do you write a letter and post it in the US mail? The adoption of email was not overnight, but it was widespread. It will be the same with paperless offices. In the future, a printed document will be as rare as a hand written letter. As people become more aware of solutions that make it possible to get rid of their printers, and scanners, and fax machines, there will be a transformation that will finally complete the paperless office. The last days of paper are closer than you think.

Middlepost Docs is Open to the Public

It has been a while since our last post and that is because we've been working very hard to finish up Middlepost Docs, our electronic signature service. There are a ton of new, exciting features that we've managed to work in, the most exciting being forms. We'll post more about forms very soon, but for now, go sign up!

You can find our Price List here.