Building on the latest features released in our core SaaS application version 2.1.1, the AssureSign for Salesforce application has been converted to access the faster and more feature-rich V2 DocumentNOW® interfaces.

One powerful addition made possible by this conversion is the ability to submit documents stored in Salesforce that contain dynamically created JotBlocks™ (AssureSign signature and data collection locations and attributes).  Customers using proprietary or third party document creation processes can leverage this new feature by inserting the well-defined dynamic JotBlock tags into their documents.

Additionally, we have made it easier to integrate AssureSign with your custom objects, through providing a more complete list of available custom object fields in the parameter tagging help section, exposing custom object fields for manual selection, and providing specific custom object field mapping examples in our online documentation.

Existing AssureSign for Salesforce users will receive a notification on their application indicating when the new version is available for download; we anticipate the general release to occur on Wednesday, March 24.  AssureSign sandbox users who access their sandbox accounts in a development version of Salesforce may access the tool starting today:  please contact support@assuresign.com for information about downloading the fully functional preview version of the tool for your development environment. 

The latest version of AssureSign, version 2.1.1, is currently being qualified and is being released for our integration clients to the development sandbox on January 20 with production release scheduled for mid-February 2010.

A key feature of this release is dynamically defined JotBlock signature locations.

Templating the signature process has proven to be a powerful feature, opening the door to a limitless variety of uses of our DocumentNOW integration interfaces.  And automation through integration produces the most cost effective solutions.  While it has always been possible within AssureSign to dynamically create single use document patterns with distinct layouts, we have developed a well-defined process that allows our customers to programmatically vary the signature areas in a way that best suits their existing processes.

Client suggestions and feedback played an important part in crafting this solution.  These also created an early puzzle that caused our engineers to approach the problem cautiously.  Some clients wanted very low level programmatic control of the process, others wanted a simpler in-document tagging mechanism; some clients needed to be able to define information embedded within their streamed-in Word documents, others wanted to apply information to their PDFs using existing toolsets.

Our final solution provides all of these options and offers the flexibility to mix and match the features that suit your needs.  You will be able to define JotBlocks:

• in the template creation process
• in a text tag within the document to be signed
• through XML
  

or combinations of

• tag + XML
• tag + template
• XML + template
• tag + XML + template

For example, in a simple case where all workflow rules are well established, such as there being only 1 signatory in a single signing step who will sign 1 specific signature block that may vary in its location due to variation in the agreements terms, then the JotBlock could be defined in advance on the template and an embedded tag in the streamed-in document could indicate merely the final signing location.

In the case that an entirely new signature area is to be defined that was not known when the template was created, this could be done with embedded text or through XML.  The XML could completely describe all attributes of the JotBlock, including height, width, x/y coordinates, signing order, signatory, special instructions, etc.  Or the XML could describe complex information but a text tag with the same name could intrinsically define the location of the signature.

We are excited about the possibilities these new features provide our customers.  Existing sandbox users will have early access to documentation and examples from within the sandbox environment in the DocumentNOW help section.  For more information about these and other features of the AssureSign application, please contact sign@assuresign.com.

AssureSign version 2.0.2 is being released to our production servers on Friday, January 30, 2009.  Current clients will have received an earlier announcement indicating the upgrade date, along with a list of features being added.

Along with a number of internal modifications being made to add stability and provide better customer support by our Customer Care staff, following are some of the features that will become immediately available to all clients:

• A type, Certified JotBlock is being introduced which will embed information about the signing capture in the image of the typed information (such as the signatory’s IP address, the date and time of signing, and the unique internal JotBlock identifier)
• A WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) signature-site customization tool, allowing clients to import custom logo graphics, add custom messages and page header information, and embed links that will be displayed during the signing process
• Settings that allow clients to customize the default redirection URL on signing step completion, in order to better integrate the signing experience into their own workflow
• Exposure to signatory IP addresses in document lifecycle reporting
• Easier visibility and access to per-seat license settings, with online ability to request additional licenses
• An online document validation tool, allowing someone with a document signed via AssureSign to validate its’ authenticity and confirm the document has not been tampered with

Many of these new features have been driven by valuable recommendations made by our existing clients; and some features have been implemented based on our internal roadmap for providing greater configuration, stability, security, and for improving the signing experience.

As much as the engineers would like to take a 2 month vacation now, version 2.0.3 is simmering on the stove as we write this BLOG entry, which will introduce enhanced security options needed by enterprise level clients.