In an effort to make online purchasing easier and faster for consumers you can use the xyzmo SMS-WebSigning Solution for approvals on documents and forms.

It’s that easy:

• The document is presented for signing and the User can read it and click on the Signature box. (Read & Accept)
• User enters name and cell phone number. (Receive Pin)
• User reads the  Pin on a cellphone and enters the Pin in the signing dialog. (Sign)
• The electronic document is signed. An audit trail is kept within the document, thus the document is a self contained, legally binding original document.

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While most companies have already automated their business processes and document workflow procedures, they had to leave the approval stage as the only component that still requires the use of a paper. Many mobile operators realize that whenever paper is involved, a large amount of time and money is wasted and security risks increase. By using xyzmo SIGNificant signature solution, printing documents just in order to capture the customer‘s signature is no longer needed. Our solution for Telecom POS (Point of Sale) solves the problem of signing electronic documents securely, while simultaneously reducing the costs and labor associated with paper-based processes and improving the time required for activation at POS, which generates more revenue and improves customer satisfaction. As the customer is the core of all business transactions, having a competitive advantage is key for getting more business.

A simple process with great benefits!

By embedding the xyzmo SIGNificant signature solution, the activation process is fully digitized. Service agreements can be completed automatically with important information, simply by scanning or sweeping the customer’s credit card or driver’s license, while any additional required data can be captured via a soft keyboard. The agreements are signed and sealed electronically, and can be automatically sent to the customer using the provided email address. This simple, intuitive solution which is easy to integrate in any IT environment and easily accepted by customers, offers mobile operators the benefits of a secure, electronic environment. It enables them to dramatically speed up the activation process in their retail stores, generate more revenue at POS and of course, save money by going paperless. This way spending for paper, printing supplies, or shipping of service agreements is eliminated. In addition, the verification of the authenticity/integrity of the service agreement and storage problems of successfully completed service agreements are no longer an issue for mobile operators and their customers, thus giving customers an easier, less time consuming experience. Among our satisfied customers are mobilkom Austria, Hutchison 3G Austria, Orange Israel, KPN Netherlands and additional providers in many other countries including the US.

Solutions for Telecom Companies from xyzmo SIGNificant on Vimeo.

The downturn in the economy has businesses of all sizes thinking how they could enhance their efficiency and cut costs, without damaging their business results in today’s business environment. We, at xyzmo SIGNificant believe that in these tough times business could extremely streamline their processes by embedding a simple solution, such as the electronic signature, to optimize the way they work, thus enable a TRUE paperless workflow and have a chance to turn a crisis into an opportunity.

Most of the companies today, automate their business processes and document workflow procedures, leaving the approval stage the only component that requires the need of paper. Digital and electronic signatures replace the concept of traditional paper-based signing with an electronic one. Signing the original electronic document saves companies on labor, faxing and mailing costs. Additionally digital signatures safeguard electronic documents and files by allowing the authentication of the signatory and verification of the original document. By embedding these solutions in their business, companies will no longer need to print documents and brake the electronic document cycle solely for the purpose of capturing a handwritten signature, therefore establishing a fully digitized process.

When considering the operational overhead of paper-based processes, the cost of each document becomes fairly high. From the experience we acquired in xyzmo SIGNificant, we learnt that the simple step of embedding en electronic signature solution enables business to achieve two important goals, which are making and saving more money, resulting in a better bottom line with a quick and proven ROI. These goals are achieved thanks to the following benefits:

• Reducing operational & back office overhead - there is no need to perform paper-related tasks such as printing, scanning, faxing and shredding as the business processes become paper-free. In addition, all documents are available to the back office systems for real-time decision making and for immediate electronic archiving, eliminating cases of document loss or duplication.
• Increasing security and reducing fraud - Once the document is signed electronically, security increases. The integrity of the content is guaranteed and if requested, enabling dynamic verification of the handwritten signature against a pre-defined biometric profile.
• Doing more business by closing more deals faster - the electronic signature helps accelerating turnaround times by reducing customer waiting periods and avoiding searching for contracts while customers are waiting. Thus more deals can be closed by enabling a rapid and efficient workflow.
• Drive customer satisfaction and retention - by embedding a handwritten electronic signature solution, which requires no changes in customers’ habits. The customers continue to sign like they always did, but with a distinct advantage of an improved experience, thanks to reduced waiting times and the convenience of remote and secured document handling.
• Improved legal compliancy and limited liability - the electronic signature is added into the document the same way as signing a paper, but reduces the probability of document forgery, as any manipulation within the document will result in invaliding the signature.
• Increasing revenue by having more time available for up/cross selling - the usage of electronic signatures dramatically increases the efficiency of sales staffs and reduces processing times leaving more time for up/cross selling.

Many companies from diverse sectors such as telecommunication, banking, insurance, healthcare and pharmaceutical are already taking advantage of what this cutting-edge technology has to offer, in order to achieve better business results. With the knowledge that our electronic signature solutions could benefit many other customers, especially in time of financial uncertainty, we would be delighted to learn about your company’s needs and assist you in streamlining your business processes.

For more information on xyzmo SIGNificant’s digital & electronic signature solutions, please visit our website at: www.xyzmo.com

…simply by scanning/swiping your credit card or driver’s license to obtain important information. Any additional required data can be captured via a soft keyboard. Signing and sealing agreements are performed electronically, and agreements can be automatically sent to the customer using the provided email address. Verification of the authenticity/ integrity of the agreement and storage problems will no longer be an issue for your company and customers.

Link:

Challenges

In the past, XYZMO_CUSTOMER’s much more than 1.000 Corporate Stores processed and activated new customers with a service agreement using a manual process. This process involved the customer selecting a new phone and then working with the sales attendant to complete the transaction. This involved the customer providing personal information such as a driver’s license and verbally providing additional information such as a social security number for a credit check. All of this data collection and data entry was very time consuming, prone to errors and not secure, especially with the sharing of sensitive information such as social security numbers. Along with data collection, the customer had to sign several copies of the service agreement and these copies were stored at an external company, at a considerable expense to XYZMO_CUSTOMER, with retrieval time consuming and expensive. The entire process was not optimal for the customer, with the time lag of at least 30 minutes for activation from initial store entry. Additionally attention to other potential customers not being helped in the store also suffered, with the focus centered around the manual activation process, one new customer at a time.

Requirements

XYZMO_CUSTOMER elected to automate the new customer activation process as much as possible. Requirements included:

• Swipping of the customer drivers license and credit card, to capture personal information
• Customer entry of their social security number on a soft keypad, for added security
• Electronic presentation of the activation agreement, for customer review
• Customer handwritten signature captured electronically, then document is sealed, to detect possible manipulation at a future date
• Electronic original is stored in XYZMO_CUSTOMER’s DMS
• Electronic original is sent to the customer through email.
• Elimination of paper service agreements, reducing the cost of paper
• Reduction of labor expended on new service agreements

Solution

Achieving its goal to electronically sign contracts and agreements at point of sale, this XYZMO_CUSTOMER implementation really represents one of the largest e-signature technology roll-outs ever completed. For the xyzmo SIGNificant Group this successful project represents a delivery on the company’s commitment to provide top level digital and electronic signature technology to various industry verticals where handwritten signatures are part of the daily processes. In addition, XYZMO_CUSTOMER’s dedication to customer satisfaction is strongly represented by this ambitious e-signature technology roll-out.

The activation process in the XYZMO_CUSTOMER shops will now be much faster and much more efficient due to the integration of xyzmo SIGNificant’s electronic signature technology. The xyzmo SIGNificant technology has proved itself already during very demanding times like the launch of a new phone when a large number of transactions was processed at the XYZMO_CUSTOMER corporate stores in record times. Customer acceptance and feedback was and continues to be extremely positive. Waiting periods shortened significantly. Thus, customer service is significantly improved because the sales personnel have extra time to focus on offering better assistance to their customers.

With the current process, the customer gets a new phone activated in less than a few minutes.  xyzmo’s solution ensures that the customer’s information is accurately and automatically captured and populated into the XYZMO_CUSTOMER service agreement, and that the contract is electronically signed and, optionally, emailed to the customer.

The updated signing process at XYZMO_CUSTOMER stores now involves scanning or swiping a credit card or driver’s license to obtain important information and to automatically populate it into the electronic Service Agreement. Any additional but required data can be captured via a soft keyboard and signing/sealing the Service Agreements is now done fully electronically.

Verification of the authenticity and integrity of the Service Agreement and storage problems are no longer an issue for XYZMO_CUSTOMER and its customers because of the solution brought to the table by the xyzmo SIGNificant’s technology.  This process ensures a high level of efficiency as well as customer acceptance and satisfaction - the customer signs on a signature pin pad exactly as he or she would do on a paper-based service agreement.

What key features should an eSignature solution possess?

The key features an eSignatures solution should possess include: review, assent or abandon functions, enabling a transparent view and full users comprehension of what they are signing, in addition to support of various signature hardware devices, such as signing pads, tablet PCs and Flat screens capturing signature biometric traits (speed, pressure, acceleration, rhythm and movement in the air). Other important features which enhance security are authentication and signature execution using multiple authentication methods in addition to enabling multiple signatures for different parts of forms. To allow flexibility and easy integration, the eSignature solution should also include Interfaces for existing applications with conversion capabilities of various document input formats into PDF, support of at least PDF and XML, support of various tokens, smart-cards and soft certificates in addition to desktop and web Interfaces. High efficiency is achieved with a highly scalable solution which includes mass (batch) signature capabilities and enables on the fly positioning of signature fields with  automatic signature positioning functionalities for documents that have the same format. Additional important features are the ability to verify incoming digitally signed documents, to perform real-time comparison of signatures against pre-enrolled profiles, also known as e-archiving which can be implemented as an external call to a file or content management system including PDF/A support.

How can the implementation of effective eSignatures solutions drive productivity and business effectiveness for financial organisations?

 Electronic signatures solutions drive productivity and effectiveness for financial organization by reducing operational & back office overhead, as when business processes become paper-free, the need to perform paper-related tasks such as printing, scanning, faxing and shredding is eliminated. In addition, all documents are available to the back office systems for real-time decision making and immediate electronic archiving, eliminating document loss, duplication or missing signatures. These solutions also increase security and reduce fraud because once the document is signed electronically, the integrity of the content and authenticity of the signer are guaranteed. The electronic signature helps accelerating turnaround times by reducing customer waiting periods by avoiding searching for contracts or forms. Accounts can be opened faster and withdrawals completed more efficiently, meaning that financial institutions can do more business. In addition, customers continue to sign like they always did but with an improved experience, leading to customer satisfaction and retention. Financial institutions can also increase revenue by having more time available for up/cross selling, thanks to increased efficiency of sales/consulting staffs. Finally, eSignature solutions drive improved legal compliancy and limited liability, as any manipulation within the document will result in invaliding the signature.

Should the implementation of eSignatures be viewed as purely a technology issue, or are there other elements that need to be considered if they to be employed successfully?

 The implementation of eSignatures is definatly more than a technology issue. The specific business processes have to be analysed and adopted in order to help streamline existing processes and achieve the benefits of the paperless environment. In addition input devices could differ, depending on the organization’s needs, meaning where and how they are meant to be used.

How are financial institutions using eSignature solutions to distinguish themselves from their competitors?

Financial institutions using eSignature solutions can distinguish themselves from competitors by enhancing their efficiency and enabling faster processes for their customers, thanks to immediate availability of document for archiving, further processing or forwarding to customers via email and eliminating cases of lost contracts or missing signatures. In addition financial institutions can offer improved services given by sales and consulting staff, resulting with better customer experience, higher satisfaction and retention. Their customers enjoy improved signing processes which include reduced waiting periods, increased security and reduced fraud with no change in their habits. Last but not least are the abilities to improve their legal compliancy, limit their liability and create a better image by promoting an environment friendly initiative.

What are the challenges facing financial companies in getting the best from this process?

The challenges financial companies face in getting the best from this process are: getting all the necessary departments on board and aligned, by involving them in the process (business, IT, legal) in order to integrate the solution efficiently. In addition to embedding the solution gradually by starting small with 2-3 branches, in order to learn which improvements are needed in the process, but always have the big picture in mind and finally, getting secure top-management support.

FST Article eSignature Solutions

Gartner Analysts Steven Leigh and Juergen Weiss launched a new Industry Report about Bancassurance:

Bancassurance is an important distribution channel for life insurers and pension providers in many markets, and can account for more than 70% of the entire insurance premium volume in some markets. Life insurers looking to leverage bancassurance initiatives need to understand the technology and processing requirements and the challenges of the different bancassurance models.

Key Findings

• Each of the various bancassurance models has a unique set of process and technology requirements to automate the entire value chain.
• Life insurers and pension providers face a number of business and IT challenges, such as regulations and master data replication, when they try to implement a bancassurance architecture.
• Insurers need to consider different technologies such as Web portals to establish a consistent user experience and to benefit from the business opportunities of bancassurance.

Recommendations

• Analyze carefully the affected business processes such as sales and quotations and IT systems (for example, the policy administration system) for your desired bancassurance model.
• Review existing technology capabilities to share common master data or transactional processes in order to avoid data and application silos for your core insurance processes.
• Make sure that your IT landscape is flexible enough to support an insurance value chain that leverages resources from both the bank and the insurance company, engages customers in unique ways, and demands specialization. This will give you some flexibility to modify, enhance and develop bancassurance models. 

For more details please contact Gartner (http://www.gartner.com/).

Digital & electronic signatures solutions enhance business processes, through the making and saving of more money.

The downturn in the economy has businesses of all sizes thinking how they could enhance their efficiency and cut costs, without damaging their business results in today’s business environment. We, at xyzmo SIGNificant believe that in these tough times businesses could extremely streamline their processes by embedding electronic signature solutions, to sign documents without using any paper, thus enable a TRUE paperless workflow.

Most of the companies today, automate their business processes and document workflow procedures, leaving the approval stage the only component that requires the need of paper. Digital and electronic signatures replace the concept of traditional paper-based signing with an electronic one. Signing the original electronic document saves companies on labor, faxing, mailing and archiving costs. Lost documents or missing signatures are a thing of the past, as after the signing process ends, all documents are immediately available for archiving or further processing. Additionally, digital signatures safeguard electronic documents and files by allowing the authentication of the signatory and verification of the original document. By embedding these solutions in their business, companies will no longer need to print documents and brake the electronic document cycle solely for the purpose of capturing a handwritten signature, therefore establishing a fully digitized process.

When considering the operational overhead of paper-based processes, the cost of each document becomes fairly high. From the experience we acquired in xyzmo SIGNificant, we learnt that the simple step of embedding an electronic signature solution enables business to achieve two important goals, which are making and saving more money, resulting in a better bottom line with a quick and proven ROI.

Benefits making the achievement of these goals possible

• Reducing operational & back office overhead - there is no need to perform paper-related tasks such as printing, scanning, faxing and shredding as the business processes become paper-free. In addition, all documents are available to the back office systems for real-time decision making and for immediate electronic archiving, eliminating cases of document loss or duplication and missing signatures.
• Increasing security and reducing fraud - Once the document is signed electronically, security increases. The integrity of the content is guaranteed and if requested, enabling real-time dynamic verification of the handwritten signature against a pre-defined biometric profile.
• Doing more business by closing more deals faster - the electronic signature helps accelerating turnaround times by reducing customer waiting periods and avoiding searching for contracts or forms, while customers are waiting. Therefore more customers can be served by enabling a rapid and efficient workflow.
• Drive customer satisfaction and retention - by embedding a handwritten electronic signature solution, which requires no changes in customers’ habits. The customers continue to sign like they always did, but with a distinct advantage of an improved experience, thanks to reduced waiting times and the convenience of remote and secured document handling.
• Improved legal compliancy and limited liability - the electronic signature is added into the document the same way as signing a paper, but reduces the probability of document forgery, as any manipulation within the document will result in invaliding the signature.
• Increasing revenue by having more time available for up/cross selling - the usage of electronic signatures dramatically increases the efficiency of sales/consulting staffs and reduces processing times, leaving more time for up/cross selling.

Many companies already realized that going paperless with electronic signatures is an important step towards success in a tough economy. Most of them have already implemented sophisticated document management and other solutions. Thanks to the complete xyzmo SIGNificant’s signature solutions it is very easy and convenient to enhance this existing infrastructure with all the necessary functionalities for a total paperless process. The combination of the existing infrastructure with the xyzmo SIGNificant suite is an optimal alternative to paper-based processes, as they minimize signature fraud and reduce paper related costs and labor, resulting in increased efficiency of business processes.

Beyond the possibility of capturing a handwritten signature by using a broad range of signature capturing devices from various manufacturers, also smart-cards, tokens and software certificates are supported. Given the high scalability of the SIGNificant Server, millions of electronic signatures can be generated automatically and verified every hour also in mass signature processes, enabling companies to realize a TRUE paperless environment. They can verify all incoming electronically signed documents and use handwritten signatures, smartcards or software certificates for the approval processes. Acquiring additional data in order to complete a form can be done simply by scanning or swiping a credit card or driver’s license or via a soft keyboard displayed on the signature pad. All documents can be converted into secure PDF files or into protected xml files. And last but not least, companies can launch a verification service for the use of their external partners, with which they can verify if a received document is the original one with only one mouse-click.

For more information on xyzmo SIGNificant’s digital & electronic signature solutions, please visit our website at: http://www.xyzmo.com

A recent Gartner study found f.e:

• A membership card with a bar code or magnetic stripe was preferred by 75% of study participants (customers).
• A preregistered fingerprint was preferred by only 2%.

Therefore Gartner recommends reatilers should assume that consumers prefer membership cards as a way of identifying themselves to them at the point of purchase. They should make it easy and convenient for consumers to join and access their program, rather than force them to use technologies like biometric finger scanning they may not be interested in.  

An interesting opportunity for the xyzmo SIGNificant Technology! (Scan the barcode from membership cards and combine that with handwritten biometric signatures to make your point of sales paperless) 

The France government has acknowledged the importance of digital signature technology and is the first in Europe to establish a new law that explicitly accepts handwritten digital signatures as equivalent to wet signatures on paper. To promote that, an electronic legal document was signed on a Wacom tablet by Rachida Dati, Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice and Eric Besson, Secretary of State at the French High Council for the legal profession. The signature of this fully paperless document took place at a ceremony to introduce the digitization of notary documents in France.

Taking the next step towards automated and optimized processes
Published: February 2009 written by Mr. Bruno Koch of Billentis, an independent European E-Invoicing consultant and market analyst

The purpose of this report is to support invoice issuers and recipients wishing to replace expensive paper based invoice management. It gives all the relevant information on the larger European markets and helps by focusing on the most promising solutions. The report not only provides facts, but also qualitative views, evaluation and details about the solutions offered by many providers.

xyzmo SIGNificant is one of the sponsors featured in this report. You will find our profile and description of the SIGNificant e-billing solution on pages 93-96.

To receive the full report, please contact our Marketing Manager, Idit Shachar at: idit.shachar@xyzmo.com

2008 Case Law Review from Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP’s

Courts across the country (federal and state) continue to address the effectiveness of delivering documents exclusively through electronic means as well as the enforceability of electronic signatures in a variety of settings. The courts have addressed the enforceability of electronic signatures applied by insurance agents on behalf of the insureds, the enforceability of an employee’s electronic signatures that causes a change in that employee’s terms and conditions of employment and in a myriad of other contexts.

The cases are, without exception, supporting our continuing view that through use of a well planned electronic signature process and workflow, supported by appropriate technology, companies can design and implement an electronic signature process with no more risk than, and in some cases less risk than, wet ink contracting.

Link:

The customer is the core of all business transactions, especially within the Telecom Market. Having a competitive advantage is key for getting more business. xyzmo‘s solution for Telecom POS/Retail solves the problem of signing electronic documents securely while simultaneously reducing the costs and labor associated with paper-based processes and improving the time required for activation at POS, which generates more revenue and improves customer satisfaction. 

Think of this simple process and imagine the benefits!

Nothing is easier than completing a form automatically simply by scanning/swiping your credit card or driver’s license to obtain important information. Any additional required data can be captured via a soft keyboard. Signing and sealing service agreements are performed electronically, and service agreements can be automatically sent to the customer using the provided email address. Verification of the authenticity/ integrity of the service agreement and storage problems will no longer be an issue for your company and customers.

Gartner Analyst Kimberly Harris-Ferrante published a new Case-Study about P&C Insurer.

The Highlights are:

Insurers can deploy e-signatures to better support their e-commerce projects, reduce mailing costs and improve the authentication of online shoppers at their Web sites.

Key Findings

• E-signatures are an important element of the e-commerce strategy. Insurers will need to deploy e-signatures to streamline the online sales process and reduce the time required to bind online policies
• E-signatures can be used to slash operational costs, including mailing, document generation and document management.
• E-signature technology can be leveraged across all channels — including agents and the call center — to better facilitate sales transactions.

All of us at xyzmo SIGNificant would like to extend our warmest greetings and wish you a Successful New Year! May the Year 2009 bring us all Joy, Happiness, Success, New Opportunities and Prosperity.

KPN established paperless stores with xyzmo SIGNificant’s signature solutions provided by Lucom GmbH.

KPN, a leading Telecommunications and ICT Provider in the Netherlands, embedded xyzmo SIGNificant electronic signature solution (provided by Lucom GmbH) in 150 of their stores. This enabled KPN to eliminate the need for printing contracts in their stores and resulted in a saving of about 700,000 Euros per year.

This significant saving was made possible thanks to immediate reduction of paperwork costs, scanning, archiving and personnel with fast and complete integration with their existing processes, driving the rapid ROI. In addition, this new initiative enabled quicker document handling due to the comfortable electronic transmission of the contracts, resulting in improved customer service and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Projectteam (f.l.t.r.): Edwin Hammerstein (KPN), Berend Hofman (Lucom), Olaf Slomp (KPN) en Jan van Buren (Lucom).

To the full interview with KPN- Read Here (In Dutch)

We are glad to inform you that SIGNificant Online Client v1.5.2.4 is officially released. Following please find some of this version’s features and improvements:

Highlights:

- Databases : Microsoft’s SQL Server 2000, 2005 and 2008 are supported
- Active Directory Usage
- Image Mode :  Enhanced image mode including zooming

Jersey City, November 17, 2008 – xyzmo SIGNificant Group, the leading international digital and e-signature technology provider, announced today that its product, SIGNificant Suite, has been certified to be compliant with the SAFE-BioPharma™ digital identity and signature standard.

“By making its SIGNificant Suite compliant with the SAFE-BioPharma standard, xyzmo has made a unique and therefore very attractive product available to the pharmaceutical industry. We encourage our member companies to take a close look at this three-level authentication-enabled signature technology” said Mollie Shields-Uehling, president and CEO, SAFE-BioPharma Association.

Read more..