Biometric Electronic Signatures Increase Efficiency and Expedite Authorizations

AssureSign LLC’s Electronic Signature Technology has been selected by Acxiom® Corporation (Nasdaq: ACXM) to support its background screening business. As a pioneer in the employment screening industry, Acxiom is the single source, most highly customer-centric background screening solution available, providing the highest hit rates and the most comprehensive compliance expertise in the industry.

Acxiom’s clients hire thousands of new employees each month, which translates into thousands of background screening check authorization forms and I-9 forms that must be signed and processed. In many cases signatures are required from both the employee and the employer. Acxiom has integrated AssureSign’s web-based electronic signature solution into its website, eliminating the need to send paper contracts to employees and wait for them to be signed and returned. As a result, the document signing process is abbreviated from days to just minutes, and the signatures are legally binding and forensically identifiable.

Since the entire AssureSign Electronic Signature process is tracked digitally, users have a complete forensic audit trail of the delivery and signing process. They know exactly when documents are received, when they are signed, and who has or has not signed them, giving them complete control over the signing process. With the implementation of AssureSign, Acxiom can assign each incoming document a unique identification number, enabling the entire process to remain paperless.

 ”Our team spent months evaluating different e-signature vendors,” says Mike Cool, vice president and general manager of Acxiom Information Security Services. “We wanted a solution that would be easy to integrate with our web-based applications, and from our experience serving the background screening industry, we also felt it was critical to choose a vendor that could obtain biometric signatures without any special software or hardware requirements for Acxiom or the signatories. AssureSign’s API made the integration process quick, straightforward and inexpensive to implement.”

“With just a mouse, an Internet connection and AssureSign’s patent-pending electronic signatures, Acxiom is able to streamline their business practices and simplify the authorization process for clients and their employees,” said David W. Brinkman, chief executive officer of AssureSign LLC. “We know of no other background screening company that can entirely eliminate the burden of faxing hardcopies of applicant releases. With the implementation of electronic signature capabilities, Acxiom can deliver complete background reports in a paperless environment.”

Acxiom provides legally compliant reports, including 100 percent in-person/real-time criminal record checks, fingerprinting, drug testing, credit reports, verification services and driving records. Especially for companies with large employee populations dispersed across many locations, Acxiom has reduced employee turnover and related costs by up to 50 percent while also saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in employee theft annually.

We at AssureSign have come to recognize that the applications for electronic signature are virtually limitless.  Every few weeks this blog will highlight an application that either fits a specific market segment or that broadly applies to all markets.  This week’s focus is on Human Resource and On-Boarding applications.  AssureSign has implemented both biometric and certified signature solutions in several large and mid-size enterprises to create efficiencies and speed up the employee on-boarding process.

A national leader in background screening solutions has integrated AssureSign directly into their customer portal to create efficiencies in processing completed authorization forms.  AssureSign’s DocumentNOW™ API allows users to easily integrate into legacy systems and web applications. Users maintain their existing interface to request a background check authorization for an applicant, who receives notice of the request for the background check authorization and is directed to the portal.  AssureSign customization and branding provides a seamless look and feel, presenting the screen authorization directly to the applicant’s computer screen to be signed electronically.  Once completed, the document is sent to existing workflow systems.  The client’s conversion from traditional print, sign and fax processes created efficiencies in document processing and management and return on investment was easily recognized.  Soon, federal I-9 forms will also be completed electronically via the same interface.

Another customer, Rhodes Retail Services, Inc., was able to reduce their on-boarding time from six to seven days down to one or two days for its mostly virtual and/or traveling staff.  Interviews are typically conducted by traveling supervisors, who send applicants paperwork via AssureSign that can be signed electronically and returned to the corporate office immediately, where workflow controls ensure that information is routed to the appropriate department.  Keeping everything in electronic form allows for more efficient storage and retrieval in the virtual office.

These are just two examples of how AssureSign can be used in Human Resources and On-Boarding applications.  Some additional applications include:

• New-hire package completion
• Enterprise-wide document signatures (policy manuals, NDAs, security policy acceptance, etc.)
• Insurance documents
• Project management milestone signoff
• Payroll approvals
• Time sheet entries and approvals
• Employee reviews

To learn more email us at sign@assuresign.com or attend a FREE webinar that reviews these applications and provides a demonstration of some of AssureSign’s capabilities. Sign up today!

AssureSign LLC’s Biometric Electronic Signature Technology has been selected as the electronic signature solution by Rhodes Retail Services, Inc., a leading merchandising services company in Elk Grove, California.

AssureSign is a web-hosted service that facilitates the managed processing of documents in an all-digital, highly secure environment. The patent-pending electronic signature software provides forensically identifiable evidence of contractual acceptance with digitized electronic signatures that can be matched for authentication in much the same way as a traditional signature.

Rhodes Retail implemented AssureSign Electronic Signature Technology to enhance the company’s on-boarding process for its mostly virtual and/or traveling staff. Interviews are typically conducted by traveling supervisors, who send applicants paperwork via AssureSign that can be signed electronically and returned to the corporate office immediately, where workflow controls ensure that information is routed to the appropriate department. “AssureSign has made our on-boarding process very efficient,” says Chris Rhodes, President of Rhodes Retail. “We typically had to wait two to three days to receive background check authorization from an applicant, and then another two to three days for new hire paperwork. With AssureSign we were able to cut down a six to seven day process into one or two days.”

Additionally, Rhodes Retail can maintain communication with existing employees when they travel, enabling them to make payroll deduction requests and changes to their benefits while on the road, quickly and confidentially. And all information is stored in one place, and searchable by employee name.

Since the entire AssureSign Electronic Signature Process is tracked digitally, users have a complete forensic audit trail of the delivery and signing process. This enables users to know exactly when documents are received, when they are signed, and who has or has not signed them, providing users with complete control over the signing process.

“With just a mouse, an Internet connection and our patent-pending electronic signature, Rhodes Retail Service is able to expedite the on-boarding process, benefiting both the company and the employee,” said David W. Brinkman, chief executive officer of AssureSign LLC. “It’s the perfect solution for almost any business that requires signatures from virtual or local employees.”