Pipeline CRM’s innovative eSignature and Instant Docs features directly address this need by streamlining contract management. Forget the time-consuming process of manually generating and sending contracts using eSign apps like Docusign or Adobe Acrobat. Now, you can create ready-to-send contracts and effortlessly track their progress all from Pipeline CRM.

Why Does Using External eSignature Software Hinder Business Growth?

It can be for two reasons.

For industries heavily reliant on contractual agreements, such as construction, logistics, and manufacturing, the deal isn’t sealed until the contract is signed. And in these moments, you want to maintain momentum while the opportunity is “hot.” However, inefficient contract creation and signing processes often hampered this deal-closing step.

It’s a no-brainer that manually creating contracts or proposals by copy-pasting data from your CRM is time-consuming. Furthermore, importing those documents into an external eSignature tool like Docusign slows down the process even more.

This disjointed approach not only wastes valuable time but also demands additional costs, namely through the eSign tool subscription. It can also increase the risk of human error during the manual data transfer—potentially jeopardizing the entire agreement.

Next comes the uncertainty of whether your prospect received the contract. Relying on standard email for sending contracts leaves you in the dark about whether the customer has even opened or signed the document until they send it back to you.

To overcome these obstacles, Pipeline CRM centralizes your entire contract management process with its integrated Instant Docs and eSignature features, effectively eliminating unnecessary friction and accelerating your deal closures.

eSignature Software vs. Pipeline CRM’s eSignature Contract Management

Beyond the time saved, transitioning from traditional methods to Pipeline CRM’s contract management solution offers other significant advantages.

• Eliminate data errors with auto-fill precision

A single error in the signed contract can have serious financial repercussions for your business. Pipeline CRM mitigates this risk by automatically populating contracts with accurate data pulled directly from your Companies, Deals, and People databases. This ensures information accuracy and upholds your brand’s professional image.

• Leaner sales workflows

Eliminate the complexity of juggling a CRM with third-party signature applications like Adobe Reader, PandaDoc, and Docusign for collecting client signatures. Pipeline CRM streamlines your entire sales process by integrating all essential activities within a single, unified platform.

• Centralized sales data

Avoid the tedious task of manually saving signed contract files when using external eSign applications. Pipeline CRM’s integrated contract management automatically organizes and stores these documents securely within the platform, making them readily accessible whenever you need them.

• Customizable and ready-to-use templates

If you already have proposal and contract templates, you can easily save them to Pipeline CRM. If you don’t know where to start or are looking for inspiration, check out our default templates. You can fully customize them to fit your needs by adjusting the content, fonts, colors, logos, and more to ensure brand consistency and create tailored agreements.

How Pipeline CRM eSignature and Instant Docs Solutions Work

Beyond managing contracts, Pipeline CRM’s Instant Docs and eSignature features also cover the creation of invoices and proposals. This comprehensive functionality streamlines your document workflow, from initial proposal generation all the way through to securing a signed contract with an eSignature request.

Let’s start from the very beginning: preparing your proposal templates.

Step 1: Customize Sample Templates or Build Your Own

• Upload your existing document templates directly into Pipeline CRM or take advantage of the readily available sample templates.
• Personalize the documents by adding new content, tweak the formatting and brand colors, and add your company’s logo.

Step 2: Connect the Data Points

• Map the template with the right data points. The template system uses dynamic placeholders designed to automatically pull relevant information directly from your CRM database.
• Leverage the integrated preview tool to confirm that all necessary data points are correctly mapped.
• Once done, your templates are ready to be used.

Step 3: Send a PDF Proposal with Instant Docs

• Go to Instant Docs and select the proposal template you prepared.
• The system automatically populates the relevant prospect data, filling in the missing information on the proposal document.
• This dynamically generated PDF proposal is now ready to be sent.

Step 4: Request an eSign

• Once your prospect agrees with the proposal, it’s time to seal the deal by sending a contract. Go to Instant Docs, find the corresponding accepted proposal/deal, and click the ‘Request eSign’ button.
• Refine the signing process by:
  • specifying which member of your team needs to sign the document (e.g., sales manager, director of sales, etc.).
  • determine the signing order (whether your company signs first or the client).
• Finalize the setup by dragging and dropping the signature fields to the desired locations within the document.

Step 5: Monitor the Document Status

• Check the document status to see whether the prospect has viewed or signed the contract. This provides a clear audit trail and facilitates efficient deal management.

Want to see Pipeline CRM’s Instant Docs and eSignature features in action? Watch this demo video to learn more about how these powerful tools can streamline your sales process.

Supercharge Your Deal Closing Process with Pipeline CRM

Relying on external eSignature applications can fragment your sales workflow and often lead to confusion for prospects. In contrast, Pipeline CRM offers built-in eSignature and Instant Docs features seamlessly integrated with instant document generation, creating a faster and smoother sales process from proposal to signed agreement.

Experience the efficiency firsthand. Sign up to Pipeline CRM today and get a 14-day free trial!

This blog will delve into the evolution of Kanban, explore how Kanban-based sales systems can boost team efficiency, and provide a practical example of implementing Kanban within a sales pipeline.

What is Kanban?

Kanban is a versatile method for organizing and managing work, particularly tasks that involve multiple stages or phases. It employs a visual approach using cards and boards to represent work items.

As tasks progress, cards are moved from one column to the next, typically from left to right, signifying their advancement through the workflow. Once a task is completed, its card is moved back to the initial column to start a new cycle or a fresh card is added to begin a new task. This visual representation offers a clear overview of the workflow, progress, and bottlenecks, enabling efficient project management and optimization.

The History of Kanban

The use of Kanban has evolved for different business areas, but the concept stays the same. For what started as a shop signboard, Kanban has transformed into an inventory system, project management system, and more.

Kanban as Shop Signages

In the 1600s, Kanban originated from the Japanese words “Kan” (sign) and “Ban” (board). It was initially used to describe the distinctive signboards that shops in bustling Japanese markets displayed to attract customers. These Kanbans were visually appealing and clearly communicated the shop’s offerings.

Toyota’s Lean Manufacturing Kanban

Toyota, a renowned Japanese automaker, played a pivotal role in extending the application of Kanban beyond its traditional commercial use.

In the 1940s, Toyota faced significant challenges, including poor sales and inefficient manufacturing processes. Taiichi Ohno, an engineer at Toyota, recognized a critical flaw: excessive waste in producing car parts, negatively impacting performance and system throughput.

After visiting an American supermarket, where he observed an efficient card-based system for optimizing inventory, Ohno was inspired to develop a similar approach for Toyota’s manufacturing process. This system, later named Kanban, utilized cards to signal the need for specific products, or the right time to re-manufacture specific car types.

By implementing Kanban, Toyota achieved several benefits: reduced stockpiles, improved workflow efficiency, and enhanced visibility into the production process. The success of Kanban within Toyota paved the way for its integration into the Toyota Production System, a manufacturing philosophy that has become a benchmark for lean practices worldwide.

Kanban in Today’s Business

Kanban has found widespread application in various business and industrial sectors. One prominent example is its influence on Scrum, a popular agile development framework. Another significant application of Kanban is in project management systems, where each task to complete the project is assigned to a card, and as the tasks are completed, they’re moved to the finished stage.

Leveraging Kanban Sales System for Effective Sales Workflows

Recognizing Kanban’s versatility and benefits, many sales teams have successfully adopted this methodology to manage their sales pipelines. The core concept remains consistent: each lead or opportunity is represented by a card that moves through various stages of the sales pipeline, from initial prospect to final outcome (such as deal won, lost, or reengage).

This visual representation of Kanban provides a clear overview of the sales process, offering many sales teams the following benefits:

• Clear visibility of sales pipeline: a Kanban board provides a clear visual representation of the sales pipeline, allowing sales reps to track deals at different stages.
• Improved prioritization: by limiting the number of deals in each stage, sales reps can focus on the most important opportunities and avoid getting overwhelmed.
• Enhanced focus: Kanban helps sales reps prioritize tasks and avoid multitasking, leading to increased focus and productivity.
• Faster deal closure: by identifying bottlenecks and streamlining the sales process, Kanban can help sales teams close deals more quickly.
• Better collaboration: Kanban boards can be used to foster collaboration among sales team members, ensuring that everyone is aligned and working towards a common goal.
• Data-driven insights: by tracking key metrics like cycle time and conversion rates, sales teams can gain valuable insights into their performance and identify areas for improvement.

Examples of a Kanban Sales Process in Pipeline CRM

The benefits of adopting the Kanban sales system are a no-brainer, but how can you apply that to your existing sales workflows? Let us show you by looking at Pipeline CRM’s Kanban sales board.

Deal Organization

As you can see from the screenshot above, the deals (cards) are organized across different sales stages (columns). These sales stages are sequentially arranged from left to right, mirroring the progression of a deal from initial contact to its final outcome. This visual representation facilitates the tracking of deal movement and provides a clear overview of the sales pipeline.

Deal Progression and View Customization

To advance a deal to the next stage, simply drag and drop the corresponding card to the desired stage column. The deal status on each card will be automatically updated to reflect its new position in the pipeline. You can add, edit, or delete sales stages to align with your team’s specific terminology and workflow.

A typical deal flow might include stages such as ‘No Stage > Touchbase > Request for Info > Presentation > Contract Prepared > Won > Lost > or Reengage.’

To further customize the deal cards, you can specify the key information displayed on each card. This enables you to access essential details about each deal quickly. For more advanced analysis, you can filter and sort cards based on various criteria, such as sales rep, deal value, or stage. This helps you prioritize tasks, identify opportunities, and gain valuable insights into your sales pipeline performance.

Moreover, Pipeline CRM’s sales Kanban offers a unique feature that allows you to collapse certain deal stages to maintain a concise view, especially when dealing with lengthy sales pipelines.

By simply clicking on a deal stage name, you can temporarily hide it, reducing visual clutter and focusing on the most relevant stages. To expand the collapsed stage and view its associated deals, simply click on the collapsed stage name again.

Find out more about what Pipeline CRM’s Kanban sales system can do for you and the available customization options.

Get a Clear View of Your Sales with Kanban Pipelines

If you find the traditional spreadsheet view insufficient for managing your sales pipeline, a Kanban-style approach can offer a more visual and intuitive solution. By providing a clear overview of your sales pipeline, you can easily monitor the status of each deal, track the performance of individual sales reps, and gain a comprehensive understanding of your overall sales performance.

Interested to try it out? Sign up to Pipeline CRM today for a 14-day free trial!