DocuSign has teamed with WhatsApp to let businesses close deals via the messaging app.
WhatsApp Delivery, launched Tuesday (Nov. 14), integrates DocuSign’s eSignature with WhatsApp to send users real-time notifications that link directly to agreements and allow for fast and secure signing.
“Consumers worldwide increasingly rely on their mobile devices for both personal and business communication,” DocuSign said in a news release.
“As consumer habits shift, speed and convenience is more important than ever before. Businesses must invest in modern, flexible solutions that expedite transactions and give signers choice in how they want to receive information and sign contracts,” DocuSign continued.
According to the release, the integration offers faster transactions, with agreements delivered through WhatApp receiving signatures almost seven times as fast as those sent via email.
It also expands the reach of the technology, as WhatsApp has more than 2 billion users in more than 180 countries.
“By offering another mobile-friendly method to process agreements, we’re giving users more choice and flexibility,” DocuSign said. “Embedding alerts natively into the messaging application makes the signing process more convenient than ever.”
The partnership comes as WhatsApp parent Meta continues to push its use in the business world as it tries to offset the losses it has accrued due to its metaverse efforts.
“We continue to be excited about the monetization opportunity with business messaging too,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during an earnings call in February, arguing that messaging will become a significant business pillar in the years to come.
WhatsApp said in late June that WhatsApp Business has more than 200 million active users, up from 50 million in 2020.
In September, WhatsApp teamed with India’s PayU to allow in-app payments in that country, home to WhatsApp’s largest user base.
DocuSign, meanwhile, recently teamed with identity verification firm Onfido to deploy its Liveness Detection for ID Verification solution, designed to offer businesses comprehensive identity proofing layers that can help to improve trust, compliance and simplify user experience.
“The feature applies AI to live video selfies — taken by signers — to confirm that the signer taking the video matches the photo on their ID and that the face on the provided ID and the face in the selfie video match,” the company said in a news release.
“Liveness Detection for ID Verification also confirms that there has been no spoofing detected, that the user was not using a fake webcam or an emulator, and that the signer is physically present at the time the video selfie was taken.”