Zoho Sign: Product Updates - Q3-Q4, 2021 and 2022 Preview

Zoho Sign: Product Updates - Q3-Q4, 2021 and 2022 Preview

Hello, everyone!

2021 has been a breeze of a year in the face of a seemingly unending global pandemic. And yet, businesses have displayed great resilience by quickly adopting a system of hybrid work that better suits their evolving operational needs.

At Zoho Sign, we have added multiple features and partnered services to address digital transformation at a regional level and enhance overall collaboration under these circumstances. With e-signatures surging in popularity, we plan to introduce many more integrations and regional services in 2022 to broaden Zoho Sign's scope of application and use.

We are also thrilled to note that Zoho Sign was recognised by top research firms such as IDC and SoftwareReviews in the following publications:
Here's a brief summary of all the additions made to Zoho Sign in the past six months and also what's in store for 2022.

What's new?

  • Revamped add-on system - Zoho Sign credits
  • Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) for the EU via Uanataca
  • eSign for India via eMudhra using e-KYC-based signer authentication
  • Trusted document timestamping via GlobalSign, SEIKO Cyber Time, and Uanataca
  • Offline signing in mobile apps
  • Signer field - Image upload
  • Google Docs editor integration
  • Revamped blockchain timestamping via Bitcoin network using OpenTimestamps
  • Updated mobile apps for Apple devices
    • Zoho Sign for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15
    • Zoho Sign for macOS Monterey
  • Software development kits (SDKs) for mobile and web development - open BETA
  • Revamped certificate of completion
  • Sign templates in Zoho Writer
  • Developer API collections on Postman and SwaggerHub
Revamped add-on system - Zoho Sign credits
Organizations must now purchase Zoho Sign credits, a common add-on, to use features and integrations that incur additional cost. This replaces our previous add-ons - the API credits and the SMS credits, which have been discontinued - to establish a standardized credit consumption system. This strictly applies only to integrated services facilitated by third-party providers and high-volume automation features subjected to fair use to prevent their abuse. This does not, however, effect much of a change to the actual cost of using these features. Learn more



Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES) for the EU via Uanataca
Organizations subscribed to the Enterprise plan and based in our EU datacenter can now digitally sign documents with Qualified Electronic Signatures. This carries the legal equivalence of wet signatures or signing documents with pen and paper. Zoho Sign offers QES by partnering with Uanataca, an authorised Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP) as per the eIDAS regulation 910/2014, and integrating with their services. Documents signed with QES also carry an embedded timestamp. Learn more



eSign for India via eMudhra using e-KYC-based signer authentication
Organizations subscribed to the Enterprise plan and based in our Indian datacenter can now digitally sign documents via eMudhra, a leading certifying authority (CA), using their integrated e-KYC services. Zoho Sign offers this in conformity with the e-sign service specifications defined by the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), India's root CA, in accordance with the Information Technology Act of 2000. Documents signed via eMudhra also carry an embedded timestamp. Learn more



Trusted document timestamping via GlobalSign, SEIKO Cyber Time, and Uanataca
Organizations subscribed to the Enterprise plan can now add immutable third-party timestamps to digitally signed documents by enabling document timestamping. This makes the signed documents indisputable, proves their existence at the time and date of signing even if the digital signature certificates on the documents expire in the future, and reinforces non-repudiation. Zoho Sign has partnered with multiple timestamping authorities (TSA)—Uanataca for qualified timestamps in the EU, SEIKO Cyber Time for Japan, and GlobalSign for all other countries and regions—to integrate with their trusted timestamping services. Learn more



Offline signing in mobile apps
Users can now download documents for offline access in our iOS, iPadOS, and Android mobile apps when they are connected to the internet. This later allows them to open and sign these documents even if internet connectivity is unavailable. This also enables field agents to collect signatures in person from signers in remote areas without internet connectivity. Any document signed offline will eventually be synced with the Zoho Sign servers when the user reconnects to the internet and this allows their workflows to continue.



Signer field - Image upload
The new Image signer field allows signers to add images to documents by uploading them at the time of signing. This can be used to request signers to add any additional information which is needed in the form of an image. We have also introduced another field property—Movable—that allows signer fields to be moved by signers in the Document Viewer screen at the time of signing.



Google Docs editor integration
Users can now edit documents supported by the Google Docs editor directly from Zoho Sign when building sign workflows. This requires the Zoho Sign integration to be installed from the Google Workspace Marketplace and the desired documents to be opened with or imported into Zoho Sign from Google Drive. Once edited, users can sync the updated files with the associated sign workflow to send them out for signatures.



Revamped blockchain timestamping via Bitcoin network using OpenTimestamps
In this new iteration, users subscribed to the Enterprise plan can enable blockchain timestamping to capture document signing events in the public Bitcoin blockchain. This creates an immutable public record for verification of document integrity. Zoho Sign offers this through an integration with a third-party service called OpenTimestamps. Previously, blockchain-based timestamping was done on the Ethereum network but it has since been discontinued and replaced with this iteration. Learn more



Updated mobile apps for Apple devices
Zoho Sign for iOS 15 and iPadOS 15
Users can add Zoho Sign to their SmartStack widget, set up larger widgets and focus notifications to track time-sensitive paperwork, print documents from anywhere, drag and drop text from other apps to create text fields, and do a lot more with enhanced pointer actions and keyboard shortcuts on the Zoho Sign app for devices running iOS 15 and and iPadOS 15.

Zoho Sign for macOS Monterey
Monterey brings all the features of the Zoho Sign apps on iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 to macOS along with other popular features such as Siri Shortcuts for a reimagined experience of digitally signing documents.
Software development kits (SDKs) for mobile and web development - open BETA
Developers can now reach out to Zoho Sign to obtain licenses for our software development kits. These SDKs facilitate quick and easy integration with Zoho Sign's services that can be served via custom mobile and web applications. SDKs are available for iOS, Android, and PHP. Please write to support@zohosign.com for license requests.

Revamped certificate of completion
The certificate of completion now summarizes document signing activity in a fresh new design that neatly presents all the details such as document and recipient information, signing order, mode of signing, timestamps and the associated blockchain transaction, if enabled.



Sign templates in Zoho Writer
Users can now set up templates for sending documents out for signature within Zoho Writer using the Automation Template option. This allows users to compose and create a sign template from scratch, or upload a document to Zoho Writer and then convert it into a sign template, and collaborate with peers on field properties and placement. Zoho Writer's new AI is also capable of automatically scanning, detecting, and adding signer fields to the PDF documents that users upload.



Developer API collections on Postman and SwaggerHub
It is now easier to build and deploy integrations for Zoho Sign using our API collections on Postman and SwaggerHub. These platforms provide developers with the documentation and the tools required to quickly compose and test API queries in real-time.




We urge you to check out these features and get back to us with all your feedback. You can read about our updates from earlier this year here. Do follow this space for more release announcements soon because we have got quite a lot to unpack (as you can see below)!

What's coming in 2022?

  • More integrated services via regional providers
    • Aadhaar-based signer authentication for India
    • QES via more vendors for the EU
    • Signer authentication via Singpass for Singapore
    • eID-based signer authentication for the EU
  • Signing improvements in Zoho Sign
    • Signing via USB Token DSC for macOS and web browsers
    • Bulk sign of documents with identical signer fields and requirements
    • Embedded signing via API and SignForms (in closed BETA)
    • Knowledge-based authentication (KBA)
  • Administrative improvements in Zoho Sign
    • Support for more languages
    • Sending documents for signature via SMS
    • Enhancements to document forwarding
    • Multi-portal/organization support
    • Custom domain and whitelabeling (in closed BETA)
    • Revamped roles, user groups, and permissions
  • New integrations and enhanced solutions
    • Integration with Zoho Checkout
    • Integration with Salesforce
    • Integration with SAP
    • Integration with HubSpot CRM (in early access)
    • Integration with Pipedrive CRM
    • Integration with Microsoft Power Automate
    • Bot support in Microsoft Teams for Zoho Sign
    • Vertical solutions across various domains via SDKs
Many of these features are in an advanced development stage and will be available for public use soon. For any support, assistance, and access to features that are in closed BETA, please write to us support@zohosign.com.

Feel free to comment below if you have any other queries or need any other details on the updates presented above.

Happy Zoho Signing! Happy Holidays!

Cheers.
Sai

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