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For small businesses that interact with clients online, sending an e-contract for them to sign is normal. That\u2019s why you need reliable systems to generate and send contracts. Without one, a manual contract workflow can take away precious time.<\/p>\n
With all that time you miss out on, you could be using it to scale your business. Yet, how do you go about creating an e-contract? And how can you make them legally binding?<\/p>\n
Below are the essential steps you can take to form your new electronic contract.<\/p>\n
The process of creating an e-contract is typically straightforward. There are several ways you can make the document through your computer and ensure it has an e-signing function.<\/p>\n
One way you can create your digital contract is through the everyday tools you may use, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs. These programs are simple to use because they allow for easy editing.<\/p>\n
When creating an e-contract in one of these office tools, here\u2019s what you need to include:<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve written your contract, the important thing is to ensure your digital arrangement is legally valid<\/a> or enforceable. You can obtain an agreement through email or create an e-signature within the document.<\/p>\n Create an E-Signature in Microsoft Word<\/strong><\/p>\n If you wish to create an e-signature for your document in Microsoft Word, follow these steps:<\/p>\n Create an E-Signature in Google Doc<\/strong><\/p>\n If you choose to create an e-signature within Google, you can follow the steps below:<\/p>\n The other option is to create your e-contract in a contract management system. You might find this process much simpler than creating one on your own, as these systems include various templates.<\/p>\n Plus, they can guide you through the creation process of your digital contract.\u00a0 Most platforms are either free or offer free trials, allowing you to test each to help you make your decision.<\/p>\n Below is a general guide on how to create an e-contract in contract management software:<\/p>\n The short answer to this is yes \u2014 as long as your contract contains certain elements for it to be legally enforceable. For instance, a contract must have an electronic signature \u2014 which is just as legal as a handwritten signature on a traditional contract.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to note that two laws justify this to be enforceable \u2014 the UETA (Uniform Electronic Transactions Act) and ESIGN (Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act).<\/p>\n These laws confirm that no one can declare a contract invalid because it\u2019s in a digital form.<\/p>\n To ensure your e-contract is legally valid and enforceable, you must take certain steps. It\u2019s always best to check with your state\u2019s electronic signature laws to see if there are any additional or different requirements.<\/p>\n However, these are the general steps you must follow when making your e-contract enforceable:<\/p>\n One measure you can take to ensure you comply with the law is consulting with an attorney. Businesses that regularly form e-contracts should speak with a lawyer to review their disclosures.<\/p>\n An e-contract works like a traditional contract \u2014 except you can create and store them online. Essentially, you can complete the creation and approval process without using paper or pen.<\/p>\n Digital contracts provide several advantages for your company. Many business owners choose the electronic route for the reasons below.<\/p>\n Saves Time<\/strong><\/p>\n Drafting a traditional contract takes a longer amount of time than a digital contract. The manual process involves creating the agreement and sending the documents. Or, you might arrange a meeting with the parties involved to discuss the terms and sign them.<\/p>\n This process can be time-consuming, especially if they involve contract negotiations. Yet with an e-contract, you can conduct everything online, even negotiations through video conferencing tools<\/a> like Zoom.<\/p>\n Cost<\/strong><\/p>\n A paperless contract management system can help you reduce costs associated with printing and mailing. Plus, e-contracts save you on labor costs since you can easily put them together yourself.<\/p>\n Errors<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether you use digital or paper, either type of contract is prone to human error. The only difference is that an e-contract allows quicker fixes since you can make changes directly within your document online.<\/p>\n Plus, digital contracts typically come from stored templates with everything you need to input the essential information. Automating your contracts means you have a lesser chance of creating an error, making a more efficient process.<\/p>\n Digitizing your contracts can be integral to your business, especially if you\u2019re implementing digital transformation. When you use tools to help you create e-contracts, you streamline your processes, save time and focus on what truly matters in your business operations.<\/p>\n Consider choosing the easier route and customize your e-contract so you can start scaling your business today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For small businesses that interact with clients online, sending an e-contract for them to sign is normal. That\u2019s why you need reliable systems to generate and send contracts. Without one, a manual contract workflow can take away precious time. With all that time you miss out on, you could be using it to scale your… How to Create an E-Contract for Your Business<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":12085,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12084"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12084\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12087,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12084\/revisions\/12087"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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How Do You Create an E-Contract with Contract Management Software?<\/h2>\n
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Will My E-Contract Be Legally Binding?<\/h2>\n
Additional Requirements to Make Your Contract Legally Binding<\/h2>\n
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How Do E-Contracts Work?<\/h2>\n
Creating an E-contract for Your Business Is Easy<\/h2>\n